A Little Vacation
by Doggieboy80
Summary: Daria finds herself unwillingly teleported to an alternate and very hostile Earth. While she tries to stay alive and unharmed, Trent and Jane try to find a way to bring her back home.
1. Chapter 1

Daria and the show's associated characters are the property of MTV/Viacom. This is fanfic and no money was exhanged for this story. It's merely written for fun and non-profit.

**A Little Vacation**

by

Doggieboy80

**1. Transporter**

"O.K., why did you skip out of class?" Daria Morgendorffer asked as she and her best friend, Jane Lane, walked down the street.

"Ah...Ms. Li had me in the office for awhile," Jane replied, her expression blank.

Daria stared at her silently for several seconds as they walked, then smirked. "Let me guess," she said, "she found hidden porn in your locker."

"No, that was last year."

"You painted small smiley faces on the security cameras' lenses?"

Jane stopped and thought about that. "No, but that's a good idea," she said and smiled at her best friend. "Thanks, _amiga_."

"Well, are you going to keep me in suspense all day? Just tell me what happened."

The tall brunette said nothing for several seconds, then said, "Ms. Li wants me to create a poster for the Lawndale Chamber of Commerce. You know, something that sells the community, but doesn't cost them anything, except all the brownie points Li earns. I'd get extra credit to use where I'd need it."

Daria adjusted her book bag and smirked again. "I'd like to sell the community."

"Yeah, but where would you spend the half-dollar?"

They passed a utility pole with a small poster attached. Daria stopped, walked back and looked at it. A picture of an elementary school age Black boy with the words _MISSING_ printed above it centered the paper. The rest of the message identified the boy as Billy Smithson, age 9, and gave details about him and the Lawndale Police Department.

"What's up, Daria?" Jane asked. "Do you know him?"

"I've seen him before," the auburn-haired girl said as she pointed at the poster. "He came to our house last year selling popcorn for the Cub Scouts. He got Dad going on one of his rants and, as a result, also got Dad to buy 50 bucks worth of popcorn." She shook her head. "It says here that he disappeared while coming home from school three weeks ago."

"Remember that realtor who always made those commercials on Channel Four?" Jane asked. "The one who always tried to show too much of her boobs? She's missing, too."

Daria glanced at Jane. "I heard Mom say something about some shady deals that realtor had. I'm not surprised she disappeared."

They walked on down the street. "So what do we do today?" Jane asked. "Get a pizza and watch _Sick, Sad World_? Or do we try to watch the soft-core porn on Cinemax through the squiggly lines again?"

"Not that again," Daria replied. "Not only did I get a headache, but you fell asleep and loudly fantasized about Alan Thicke. I nearly lost my pizza when you went into detail about what you wanted to do to him."

"No, it wasn't Alan Thicke! It was Leonardo DiCaprio!"

"Oh, that's right. You fantasized about Thicke when you fell asleep in O'Neill's class."

"Keep it up, Daria, and I'll tell everyone about the love letters you wrote to Don Knotts."

Daria decided to play along. "It's just that Mayberry charm. That's my weakness."

"That and seeing Trent in his underwear."

"I hate you, Lane." Daria blushed and looked away.

Jane smiled at her friend and they walked on down the street in silence. Finally, she said, "There's no harm in liking him, Daria."

Daria grunted, but said nothing.

"You ought to ask him out."

"What? Are you nuts?"

"Hear me out, Daria, hear me out. He's ambling around, clueless as ever. You ask him and if he says 'Yes', then you work on it from there."

"Well, suppose he says 'No', smart ass. What then?"

"Then you can chase after Mack instead." Jane grinned at her. "Seriously, if Trent turned you down, then you let him go and pursue someone else. It would be his loss, anyway."

Daria sighed, looked down briefly, then looked back up at Jane. "It's not that easy, Jane. You're more outgoing than I am."

Jane looked ahead. "Well, speak of the devil. There's Trent. Lift your skirt up, Daria. Show him some thigh."

"Bend over, Jane. You have something on your ass."

Jane laughed and moved slightly out of reach. "I've heard that one before. Let's at least say 'hi' to him and find out why he's awake." She lifted her hand to wave at him.

Just then, a tall, skinny man with a fringe of white hair and bulging eyes jumped out from behind a parked panel van. He carried a black box the size of a trumpet case and pushed something on the front. The sound of thunder could be heard as a white light shot out from the box towards the girls.

"Daria! Look out!" Jane jumped aside quickly.

Daria wasn't as quick, however. The light engulfed her and she cried out loudly in shock as she vanished in the bright luminescence.

The light faded and Daria Morgendorffer was gone.

(To be continued...)


	2. Somewhere Over The Rainbow

**2. Somewhere Over The Rainbow**

Jane stared in shock at the spot where Daria had stood before she vanished. "Daria?" she asked, her voice weak and uncertain.

"Shit!" the old man said, anger and frustration obvious in his voice. "_You moved! _This test was supposed to be on _dual_ subjects, but you moved! Dammit!"

The teen turned towards the man and glared at him. "Where's Daria?" she asked. "What did you do to her?"

The man ignored her questions, however, and continued his rant. "I made detailed notes concerning this test and _you moved_!"

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY FRIEND?" Jane yelled at him.

"You want to see your friend, you stupid bitch?" he asked and glared back at her. He aimed the box towards her. "Very well, girl, you shall."

Before the man could push any buttons, however, Trent tackled him onto the ground near the curb. The box was knocked from his hands and landed on the ground near Jane's feet.

"NO!" the man screamed and tried to dive for the box. Trent kept a tight hold on him and the two struggled on the ground.

Despite the younger man's strength and agility, it took a lot of effort to hold the man down. He looked at his sister. "Janey!" he said. "What happened? What did he do to Daria?"

"I don't know! The bastard shot her with some sort of weird light beam and she...just vanished!"

The man gasped and swung a now free right arm back to hit Trent. "Let me go, you damned lousy punk!"

"What did you do to Daria?" Trent asked and tightened his hold on him.

"Get off of me!"

Jane grabbed the old man's right arm, pulled it up and twisted it hard. The movement forced the man's face into the dirt, which muffled his pain-filled scream. She leaned down and said, "If you don't want me to dislocate your shoulder, I suggest you talk to us."

"Stick it up your ass, bitch! I'm telling you nothing!"

Trent looked at Jane and said, "We have to get him somewhere off the street. Some place where we can question him alone."

"Why?" she asked.

He grabbed a broken chunk of yellow-painted curb and hit the man's head with it.

The old man collapsed in Trent's arms and laid still.

"What did you do that for?" she asked. "We have to find out what he did to Daria!"

"Somebody may call the cops, Janey. They may already have. We don't need that trouble."

"Why not?" she asked. "We'll tell them what he did to Daria!"

Her brother released the unconscious man and took a deep breath. "What will we tell them? That he...disintegrated her? They'll arrest us for trying to mug him and let him go...and we may never see him _or_ Daria again."

Jane looked from the man to Trent and then around the neighborhood. So far, nobody had come outside to investigate the fight...or the bright light.

Trent pulled the man up into his arms. "I saw him get out of the back of the panel van. We'll put him in it, tie him up and drive him somewhere else...away from here."

The brunette girl blinked several times and said, "O.K." She helped put the man into the back of the van and got in with him.

Trent shut the door, then picked up the box the man had dropped. He then got into the driver's seat, found the keys tucked into the sun visor, and looked back through the rear-view mirror. Jane had already bound the man's arms behind his back and was now working on his ankles. He started the van and pulled away from the curb.

**oooooooooo**

When the light faded, it took Daria several seconds to re-orient herself. She was no longer a few blocks from Lawndale High School. In fact, she stood alone in what appeared to be a strange neighborhood. _Maybe not strange_, she thought, _but I sure don't recognize it._

She was on a sidewalk in front of a two-story house with a badly faded white paint job. Its front yard was in desperate need of a lawnmower. Part of a tricycle was visible in the overgrown grass.

Thunder rumbled in the gray skies and she looked around uncertainly. "Jane?" she asked; her voice sounded small and muffled in the wind.

She shivered. "O.K.," she finally said. "I guess I'm not in Kansas anymore. Better figure out where the heck I am before the rain gets here."

_The real question is how the hell did I get here? What did that man do to me? And where's Jane? Where's Trent? Where am I? _She stood still as she thought and finally looked down at the ground. _I can't just stand here._

At first, Daria looked at the house directly in front of her. Then she shook her head and muttered, "Nope. That place nearly screams out 'mean old man with a shotgun lives here.'" She turned to her right and walked down the sidewalk.

As she walked, the state of the neighborhood she was in increased her nervousness. Many of the yards were overgrown and littered and several of the houses were badly damaged, some with broken windows, others with smashed doors and holes in the walls.

"Abandoned neighborhoods and vandalism," she whispered and looked around nervously. "This is not a good sign, Morgendorffer. You're in a very bad place."

She quickened her pace and looked around carefully as she walked. She also listened for any sounds other than her footsteps on the cement or that of the thunder and the wind. All she heard, however, were the sounds of birds in most of the trees.

In the distance, she saw a water tower and near that, what looked like a few four- or five-story buildings. They looked to be maybe a mile ahead of her. _I'll head downtown, _she thought. _I'll find myself a cafe or a donut shop and call Mom collect from a payphone._

Then she stopped and blinked twice. _How the hell do I explain to her what happened? Ah, that's not important right now._

The street ended in a T and Daria turned right, then stopped suddenly. A yellow Volkswagen Beetle had collided with a blue Chevy Camaro just about a hundred feet from the intersection. Broken glass and plastic littered the street around the collision site.

Daria stared at the wrecked cars for several seconds and felt a chill go down her spine. A rather large branch from a nearby tree rested on the crushed hood of the Camaro, but the leaves on it were long dead and dried up.

_I don't understand. When there's a wreck in Lawndale, even in the bad neighborhoods, the authorities have it cleaned up within a few hours at the latest._

Slowly, she walked around the two cars and shuddered as she saw what looked like a rat scampering around inside the VW_. I don't like this neighborhood. Not at all. _She buttoned her jacket up and moved a little faster down the sidewalk.

After she passed several houses, Daria saw a man. More accurately, she saw the man's back as he sat in a yard. It looked to her as if he were working in a flower bed, since there were quite a few roses around him. _I hate speaking to strangers_, she thought as she walked into the yard, _but this neighborhood is creeping me out and he looks like an old man working in his flowers_. That _is somewhat normal._

"Uh...excuse me, sir?" she asked, then cleared her throat. A blush covered her face and she said, her voice louder, "Excuse me, sir?"

The man turned and Daria gasped. The man held the remains of a raccoon in his hands. His lower face was covered with blood, fur and entrails. The irises of his eyes were a blank white and his face was mostly blue and gray in color. A portion of his throat and right arm were missing and the remaining area was covered in congealed blood. He saw Daria and grunted. A piece of the dead animal fell from his mouth as he stared at her.

"Oh, shit!" she muttered and her face paled.

The man slowly got to his feet and Daria saw that the front of his clothes were covered in dirt, blood stains and other things she didn't want to try and identify.

She backed up slightly, turned to run, then stopped. Three other people were coming towards her from across the street. All looked much like the man did, with the discolored skin, serious injuries and filthy clothes, except one old woman who was totally nude.

Daria froze as the people moved closer and closer to her...

(To be continued...)


	3. Rescue

**3. Rescue**

Daria looked at the four people as they advanced on her. Three of them had their arms stretched out towards her as they moved. One of the four had no arms below the elbows. _ZOMBIES? But...but that's impossible!_

She jerked to her right, stopped, then to her left and stopped again. Then she shivered and hyperventilated as she heard them groan.

A noise to her right then caught her attention. She looked that way; her eyes bulged and a whimper escaped her lips, followed by a sob.

A male zombie ran fast towards her from two houses away. He wore a large coat that flapped behind him as he ran and his right hand stretched out in front of him.

_Oh, shit! Some of them can run, too. I'm dead! I'm dead! _Daria felt her bladder release and sobbed again. Tears filled her eyes and she shook her head. "Omigod! Omigod! Omigod!"

"Hey!" the running zombie yelled at her. "Get down! Drop! Now!"

She looked at him through tear-blurred eyes and thought, shocked, _He's not a zombie. _She saw a weapon of some sort in his right hand.

"Get down, girl!"

She fell quickly then and the running man fired his weapon three times. The bullets hit the zombie who held the dead raccoon. The dead man wavered, then fell hard onto his back.

Daria stared at the fallen body from her crouched position and wiped her eyes.

The gunman reached her then. He turned to the nude zombie and shot her head twice. The old woman's body jerked backwards as the bullets hit it, then fell onto the street.

When he turned to shoot the third zombie, the hammer clicked wrong. "Dammit! Misfire!" He released the pistol and it swung loosely from a cord that connected the trigger guard to the right side of his coat. Then he pulled out a second pistol and fired two head shots each into the next two zombies.

As the bodies fell, the man turned towards Daria and asked, "Are you hurt? Did any of them bite you?"

Daria saw another zombie quietly move up behind him. "Look out!" she yelled and pointed.

Before the man could turn around, the zombie, once a teen boy, clamped onto his right arm and bit into his right shoulder. The coat material tore as the dead teen pulled back with his head.

The man's scream was more angered and frustrated, than pain-filled. He elbowed the zombie hard twice and broke its hold. "YOU BASTARD!" he yelled and kicked the dead youth to the ground. "That was my best coat!" He lifted the pistol, screamed again and emptied the weapon into the creature's head.

Then he panted and looked at his right shoulder. "Dammit, that hurt!"

"There's more of them!" Daria said and pointed back the way she came.

The man released the second pistol as he turned towards two more zombies; it swung loosely on another cord attached to his left side.

He drew a sawed-off shotgun from inside his coat, primed and lifted it, then fired once. The force of the blast separated the duo's heads and their bodies fell backwards. Their bodies twitched as they laid on the ground.

Daria was temporarily deafened by the shotgun blast. She closed her eyes and held her ears.

The man grabbed her left shoulder and she looked up at him. He said something, but the words were lost to her shocked and ringing ears. "Huh?" she asked.

"I said to get up and let's go! We haven't got much time!" He pulled her to her feet and then ran back the way he came. The two pistols swung freely on his coat as he ran. "Come on! Follow me!"

Daria ran after him, but after several seconds, it was apparent that she couldn't keep up with him.

He stopped, turned to see where she was and ran back to her. Without a word, he tossed her over his left shoulder and she grunted loudly. He then gripped her left thigh through her urine-soaked skirt, turned back around and ran again.

She moaned as he ran and looked at his right shoulder. _I can't believe this is happening!_

**oooooooooo**

Trent parked the van in a supermarket parking lot and turned to Jane, who looked over a notebook. "How tight is he tied up?" he asked.

"He can't get free," she said, "but he's still out." She held up the notebook. "I don't understand what the hell this guy's written in here, but he's some sort of scientist, or maybe an inventor. He's got words like 'electronic transportation' and 'power flux' and 'energy fluctuations.'" She took a deep breath and sighed. "I think that he used Daria in some sort of experiment. In fact, he planned to use both of us."

"Yeah," Trent said. "I heard him bitch about you moving off."

The look on Jane's face reflected her worry as she asked, "Trent, what if he disintegrated Daria and killed her? What do we do then? How do I explain _that_ to her parents?"

The young man shook his head. "You said something about 'electronic transportation.' I don't think he killed her."

"Well, what did he do to her then?"

He sighed. "I think he...transported...her somewhere else. Like on _Star Trek_."

"How do you know that?"

"It's a hunch I have, Janey. Just a hunch. Gag him while I search more of his books.

Jane grabbed a towel from a tool kit and shoved it into the unconscious man's mouth, while Trent grabbed several notebooks and sat down to look them over. _Daria better be alive, you son of a bitch! If you've killed her, I'll burn your nuts off!_

(To be continued...)


	4. Robert

**4. Robert**

The man ran with Daria on his left shoulder for quite a while. In fact, she lost track of time while being jostled as he rushed through block after block of what was obviously a dead city.

It was apparent to her that he had stamina. The fact that he hadn't slowed down yet was proof of that. He wasn't even breathing heavily.

Or else he was operating on blind panic and adrenaline. Either way, she couldn't tell.

Despite the lack of effect on him, though, she felt worse as the minutes wore on. Finally, she turned her head to her left and yelled at the back of his head, "I'm gonna puke! I'm gonna puke!"

The man stopped and set Daria on her feet. She wobbled over to the side of a yard, got on her knees and vomited in the grass. As she did that, the man loaded the pistol hanging on his left side and holstered it. At the same time, his gaze darted in every direction. He also loaded the sawed-off shotgun and placed it back inside his coat.

After nearly a minute, Daria took several deep breaths and said, "I think I'll be O.K." She got to her feet slowly and asked, "Do you have to carry me? I get motion sickness easily."

"We still have a few blocks to go," he said, his voice low. "Talk quietly and stick to the pavement or sidewalks, plus stay with me. I'm used to fighting these things and we can outrun them...but they're real dangerous in large numbers." He walked ahead and she stayed beside him.

"Those were zombies, weren't they?" she asked, her voice as low as his.

"That's right."

Daria looked at his right shoulder. "What happens if a zombie bites you?"

"You'll be dead within three days, though most times it don't take that long. Nobody survives a zombie bite."

She pointed at his shoulder. "Then your shoulder..."

The man stopped, turned to face her and pulled open his coat and shirt. Tightly woven chain mail could be seen under his shirt. "Chain mail," he said. "I never leave home without it. There's more at my shelter that you can wear. Come on." He led her on.

A couple of minutes later, she started to ask, "How did..."

The man held up his left hand and looked around, instantly alert. Suddenly, a tall dead man came out from a large bush and moved towards them. In the distance several more zombies moved in their direction. Their moans alerted even more to their presence.

Daria stepped back as the man quickly drew the left pistol and fired two shots into the closest zombie's head.

As the dead man fell, her rescuer said, "I'm sorry, Miss, but..." Then he quickly tossed her back over his left shoulder and took off at a run again.

Daria groaned and saw the remaining zombies follow slowly behind them. She closed her eyes to minimize the nausea. _Dammit, this sucks!_

**oooooooooo**

Trent and Jane froze as a cellular phone rang near the driver's seat. "What do we do?" she asked as they looked at each other and then at the bound old man.

Before Trent could answer, the phone's voice mail kicked in and played audibly. "Dr. Stone, Spotter still here in Fostoria, and still no package. I know that you're sick of me asking you this, but are you _certain_ of your coordinates? I'm not complaining, mind you, but I hate the fact that you're wasting your money like this. Call me back and give me an update. Later." The phone then clicked off.

After several seconds, Jane asked, "Where's Fostoria?"

"I don't know," Trent replied, "but if I understand what that guy said right, this 'Dr. Stone' is testing a transporter and sending things to this person in Fostoria...wherever that place is."

"But that guy said he hasn't gotten anything yet."

Trent nodded and said, "Which means that Daria is somewhere out there...lost."

Jane glanced at the unconscious doctor and glared at him. She pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. "His driver's license says that he's Ezra Stone." She looked inside and whistled. "Full of twenties. Payday."

"No, Janey," Trent said. "We're not taking his money. We just want Daria back."

She saw his look, sighed and put the wallet back into his pocket.

"We'd better have some questions prepared for when he wakes up, Janey."

A small, vicious smile crossed her face. _We'd better have... motivation...prepared so that he'll answer the questions._

**oooooooooo**

The man stopped at what looked like a recently built office complex or lodge. After he set Daria back on her feet, he looked around several times, then quickly worked at unlocking a metal door.

She leaned against the brick wall to steady herself and looked around as well. She noticed that there weren't any windows on the first floor. "Do you..."

"Wait!" he said quickly. "We'll get inside and secure first, then talk." He opened the door. "Come on! Let's go!"

_No need to be rude! _she thought, but obeyed him.

When the man shut the door, Daria shivered at the sudden darkness. She heard him lock at least five deadbolts, then heard him slide something heavy against the door.

"Go on upstairs, Miss..."

"Daria. Daria Morgendorffer."

"I'm Robert Nelson, Daria. I'm pleased to meet you, despite the horrible circumstances. Take hold of the handrail and go on up. I'll finish securing the door and join you in a minute."

She felt around on the wall and found the handrail. As he worked on the door, she walked upstairs slowly and stopped when she reached the top. She waited until she heard him follow her and backed up a couple of feet.

Before he reached the top, he lit a cigarette lighter and gave her a small smile. "Follow me, Daria, and we'll see about getting you cleaned up."

She then remembered wetting herself and blushed. But something in the way he said it caused her to hold back slightly. "What do you mean by 'see about getting me cleaned up'?"

Robert stopped and looked at her. "I have a solar shower set-up here. So even though I don't have power or actual running water, there is at least hot water." He noticed her reticence and added, "You're safe here, Daria. You have nothing to worry about, and I'm not going to hurt you."

"You have me locked up and alone with you. I can't go anywhere and I don't even know how to get out. How do I know you won't decide you want to...collect payment...from me?"

Irritation crossed his face and he looked at her, one of his eyebrows raised. "For your information, I don't rape women, little missy. I've never had to and I never will. I have a sense of honor." He waved his hand briefly. "Plus, I'd never betray Maggie like that."

"Maggie?"

"My wife. She died after the dead rose."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I understand that this is all a shock to your system. After all, you're from Lawndale, aren't you?"

The teen looked shocked. "How did you know?"

He smiled briefly. "You aren't the first person I've met from there."

"There's others from Lawndale here? Where are they? Where are we, for that matter?"

"_We _are in Fostoria, Ohio, a little more than 30 miles south of Toledo." His smile vanished and he looked away. "Buster! Come on in here, boy!"

Several seconds later, a beagle walked slowly into the room and stopped when he saw Daria. He moved behind Robert's legs and moved his tail between his hind legs.

"This is Buster. He's the property of one Anthony DeMartino of Lawndale, Maryland, at least according to his ID tag." He knelt down and lightly petted the dog. "She's O.K., Buster. She's a friend."

Daria blinked as she looked at the frightened dog. _I didn't know that Mr. DeMartino had a dog_. "When did he get here?"

"He's been with me for nearly nine months. I found him cowering behind a restaurant dumpster. It's a miracle that the zombies didn't get him."

The dog cautiously moved up to Daria and sniffed her left leg. Before he could lick her, Robert pulled him back and continued, "I don't know of any other animals sent from Lawndale. But there were at least six people sent from there, not counting you. Maybe more. I don't know. Four of the six were already dead when I found them. The other two were already bitten and died in my care." He stood back up. "Follow me."

He led her to another room, which was filled with books, music tapes, CDs and albums, video tapes and discs, as well as assorted cardboard boxes. One nearly clean table stood out among the piled up items in the room. The table held two purses, three wallets, a briefcase, a child's bookbag and a couple of cell phones. "This stuff belonged to the people from Lawndale."

Daria picked up the bookbag and removed a third grade math book. Inside, the name 'Billy Smithson' was written in a child's cursive style.

"Billy was the one here before you, Daria." Robert's voice seemed tired. "I reached him too late. Right as I got there, he got bit on his left arm. I brought him back here and took care of him as best as I could. He died after two days."

She blinked as she remembered the young Cub Scout. "What...what did you do then?"

"I shot him in the head. Twice. Then I dumped his body outside until I could properly dispose of it." He took a deep breath. "I need to let you clean up." He walked out of the room; Daria set the book on the table and followed him.

Robert led her to a bright room where a shower stall stood. A pipe ran down from the roof to a shower spigot. "I'll get you a robe and we'll wash your...um, dirty clothes."

"How do you do laundry?" she asked.

"I use a plastic bag, filled with water, detergent and the clothes. Then I hold it shut and shake it for fifteen minutes. After that I rinse them off and hang them up to dry." He moved to leave the room. "Go ahead and wash. I'll knock when I have the robe." Then he shut the door.

Daria moved to the door and locked it before she began to undress.

(To be continued...)


	5. Stone

**5. Stone**

"I think I found something," Trent said as he read one notebook. "'Small-scale tele...tele..._teleportion_ experiments a success from room to room. The mouse survived the transport and suffered no ill effects. Return trip feature worked perfectly.'"

Jane grabbed the notebook, pulled it sideways and looked at it briefly. "'Teleportation', Trent," she said and released the book.

"Oh. The next entries had him 'teleporting' the mouse from house to house...then across town...then across the county. The return feature, whatever that is, worked perfectly, as well." He read on for several seconds, then added, "They tried a long distance one here. 'Contacted Jim Thurman in Fostoria to watch for the mouse at the assigned coordinates. He called the mouse _the package _and now calls himself _Spotter_, as if he were play acting in some spy thriller. Jim may be a simpleton, but at least he's reliable and honest. Unlike Dr. Casey.'"

"Sounds like this guy Stone's diary," Jane said and looked at the bound man.

"'Teleported mouse at 3:20 p.m.,'" Trent said as he continued to read. "'Jim reports, however, that the mouse didn't arrive. I tried to return the mouse, but failed. I confirmed all my settings and sent a second mouse at 3:50 p.m. Same results. Jim somehow has screwed up, but I don't know how yet.

"'Dr. Casey wants to halt the experiments until he can contact Colonel...' I can't read the name...Baker, I think. 'The damned fool! Casey doesn't care if I lose my funding. In fact, I think that's what he wants.'"

The old man groaned and Jane said, "Hold up, bro." She turned around in the chair and leaned over on the back rest. She saw the old man glare up at her and smiled at him. "I know you don't care, 'Doctor' Stone, but I want my friend back. _You_ are going to help us get her back."

"M-mck moo!" he said through his gag.

Jane's smile widened. "You'll never be that lucky."

"Janey!" Trent said. "Listen to this! 'I incap...inca...'hell, I think it means he knocked out...'Dr. Casey, tied him up in his chair and teleported him to Fostoria. Had the same result as with the mice, but this time, I tried the return feature to bring him back. After 10 minutes, all that came back was the chair and part of the ropes...' oh, shit."

"What? What is it?" she asked.

"'...all covered in dried blood. A partially decomposed hand laid on the seat.'" He looked at Jane briefly, then looked away.

Jane's face paled and she said, "Daria." Then she jumped over the chair and landed on the man's midsection. She rammed her right knee into his groin and yelled in his face, "What did you do to her? What did you do to Daria?"

Stone cried out in pain and when Jane clamped her hands on his throat, he struggled to breathe. His eyes rolled up in his head as she choked him.

Trent pulled his sister away from the man and said, "Jane, stop it! He can't help us if he's dead!"

Jane shook as she forced herself to calm down and leaned down next to his face. "You better help us get our friend back, you bastard, and she better be alive and unharmed." She pulled the gag away from his mouth. "Now tell us what do we do to get her back."

"Stick it up your ass."

She gave him a small smile. "You better help us or I'll hurt you bad."

"You don't have the stones, bitch."

**oooooooooo**

Daria came out of the shower room and held the robe to her neck tightly as she walked to find her rescuer. "Mr. Nelson?" she asked, her voice uncertain as she looked around.

Buster stuck his head out of one open door, looked at her briefly, then retreated back into the room.

She followed the dog, but only saw the beagle as he hid under a bed. She walked on down the hall.

She found the man in another bright room as he placed plates of food inside some sort of wooden cases with mirrors and aimed the mirrors at the window. He was out of the chain mail and wearing jeans, a T-shirt and running shoes. "Excuse me, Mr. Nelson..." she started to say.

"Robert."

"What?"

"Call me Robert. I'm a working man, not a boss."

"Uh...O.K., Robert. I need some clothes to wear. I don't want to go around in a robe like this."

He looked at her briefly, then looked away as he saw her blush. "Go down to the end of the hall to room seventeen - 'Mrs. Einstead' is what the door says. There are all sorts of clothes in there, including...um, underwear."

Daria looked down, blushed even deeper, and walked down the hall. A tall window with a closed Venetian blind stood at the end of the hall and she made a small opening to look outside.

She saw at least thirty zombies in different locations, including one group of ten that had treed some sort of animal which simply leaped to other trees to escape. With a shudder, she looked away and entered room seventeen.

**oooooooooo**

Several minutes later, she returned in an ankle-length green skirt and a long-sleeved blue pullover blouse. "What are you doing?" she asked Robert as he adjusted the wooden cases slightly.

"Fixing dinner," he said. "These are solar-powered cookers, built from plans in an old issue of _The Mother Earth News_."

Daria looked them over and shook her head. _Interesting. _"Did you build them?"

He shook his head. "No, Maggie did. We camped out a lot and she was into making anything that used the sun or wind to power things. A little fan on a pole gave us light in the tent at night." He sighed. "She...was the handyman...woman...of the house."

She saw his features fall as he spoke and asked, "Can you show me what to do to so I can wash my laundry?"

"Oh, I can do that," he said quickly and perked back up. "You're my guest."

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather do it myself, please."

He smiled briefly, then took her back to the shower room to show her what to do.

**oooooooooo**

Stone groaned through the gag as Jane held a cooling cigarette lighter in her left hand. She handed it to her brother and said, "Get it hot again, Trent."

"Janey..."

"Do it!"

"Talk to him first," he said. "Give him a chance to talk."

Two red rings decorated the old man's face and a third ring had blistered on the top of his chest.

Jane pulled the gag out of his mouth and asked, "Now how do we get Daria back?"

"The return feature...it's...it's imprecise," the man said, his voice weak. A choked sob escaped his lips. "It didn't work right the last time I tried it. I don't know why yet." He looked up at the window, but only saw the sky and some clouds. "Don't burn me anymore, I beg you. I'll talk. I'll talk."

"Why are you doing this?" Trent asked.

Jane started to snap at her brother, but the old man gathered his wits, cleared his throat and said, "Think about it! Teleportation - the ability to travel great distances - without using a car, train or plane." He saw the girl glare at him and said quickly, "Let me explain it, please. Let me talk. Suppose that you had a terrorist hiding in a hostile country who you wanted to capture. With my device, I can teleport special forces-type soldiers to the terrorist's location. They'd have him back here and in custody before the hostile country would even know about it. Or suppose that you and a loved one wanted a Valentine's Day dinner in Paris? You just teleport to Paris for dinner, then come back home in time to do your homework. It's the best way to break our dependence on foreign oil."

"Why did Dr. Casey want you to stop?" Trent asked.

"He was an idiot! The fool actually believed that I had created a 'death-ray' or a 'trans-dimensional wormhole'. I don't have the right materials for a laser and there _are_ no other universes. The idiot!"

"What?"

"Enough of this!" Jane said. "What do we do to bring Daria back?"

"Release me and I'll do it for you. Only I can operate the device right."

The girl laughed and shook her head. "I'm not that stupid. Tell me what to do. But if you screw it up, I'll screw you up. Remember that."

"What do you think happened to Dr. Casey?" Trent asked.

The old man looked at him and said, "I don't know. But the blood was dried...as if it had been there for days. But the chair was only gone for ten minutes. There's some sort of time variation that I've never encountered before. Plus there was the hand."

"Whose hand was it?" Jane asked.

"I don't know," Stone said. "It wasn't Dr. Casey's. I don't understand what went wrong. The return feature always worked fast before. It didn't this time. Nor the other times."

"What other times?" the brother and sister asked in unison.

"I've done this particular test nine times before today."

Jane and Trent looked at each other in shock.

**oooooooooo**

"You shot eight people...zombies," Daria said as he placed silverware and napkins on the table. "Doesn't that affect your appetite?"

Robert shrugged. "At first, it did," he said. "Hunger eventually overrides nausea. You think you'll be O.K. enough to eat?"

She nodded.

"Right now, I'm living on canned food, at least until the use-by date runs out. I don't have any bread or crackers. Sorry."

Daria sat at the table as he placed a plate of ravioli on a quilted pot holder and set it in front of her. "How come you're staying in a dead city? Wouldn't the country be a better place?"

"This is my hometown," he said. "I...I don't count on lasting too much longer." He cleared his throat and looked away from her. "I have bottled water and canned soft drinks. What would you like?"

"Do you have Ultra Cola?"

He looked at her and shook his head. "Never heard of Ultra Cola. I've got RC Cola, however, as well as Big K Cola and Faygo Cola."

"I like RC," she said.

He set two cans of RC on the table and set his plate down on another quilted pot holder. Then he poured some dry dog food in a bowl for Buster.

As Robert sat down, he handed Daria a road map for Maryland. "Show me where Lawndale is, Daria. I'm not good with maps. Show me where you're from."

Daria opened the map and looked around the Baltimore area. "Uh...hold on." She went to the detailed map of the Baltimore area and its suburbs and looked more than a minute. "It's not here," she said and glanced at him briefly.

He nodded and said, "Lawndale, Maryland, does not exist...in this universe."

The road map fell to the floor and she stared at him. "I don't understand. Where am I then?"

Robert sighed and shook his head. "I'm really not sure," he said. "There's a lot of things I don't know, but I've had time to think on this since the Lawndale people started showing up. I think there's multiple universes...multiple Earths. Pretty much the same, but all different in some ways." He laughed and sipped some of his drink. "I could be wrong - very wrong. But it's as good a guess as any, I suppose."

Daria ate some of her food as she thought over what he said.

"I need you to tell me exactly what happened before you showed up here, Daria."

She looked up at him, then back at her food. "My friend Jane and I were coming home from school. We're juniors at Lawndale High. This old man jumped out in front of us and he held a box in front of himself. Jane jumped away and yelled at me to look out as he pushed something on the box...I think. A light came all around me. The next thing I know I was in that neighborhood where you found me."

"The house where I rescued you, was it the one you showed up at?"

"No. It's a couple of blocks away. A two-story white house with a bad paint job."

He made notes on a notepad next to his plate. "Describe the old man."

"He was tall and skinny," Daria said. "He was bald except for fringe of white hair. His eyes bulged out."

Robert nodded. "That's what Billy told me."

"Robert?"

He looked at her and saw her right eye glisten, then her left.

"I want to go home."

"I don't know how it can be done, Daria. I think...the old man found a way to connect universes, to travel between them. Everyone he's sent over were guinea pigs. I know it sounds crazy. The only plan I have is to be there the next time he sends someone over. Maybe you can return the same way. I found Billy and Kay Daniels..."

"Kay Daniels?" She removed her glasses and wiped her eyes with the napkin.

"That's what her real estate business card said. I found them near where I found you. I think all of you showed up at the same house, between three and four in the afternoon. Every time one of you showed up, there's been thunder and a weird sound, like a strange electronic whine." He sighed. "I was unprepared for your visit and was almost too late."

"So you think that if we're there everyday between three and four...I might be able to get back?"

"That's the theory. There's something you need to know. None of the houses there are secure and all the gasoline is already going bad. I haven't driven anything in five months. I need to outfit you in chain mail and get you armed before we even try it."

"Where did you get chain mail?"

"One of Maggie's friends went to Kent State after high school. He was a member of...hell, what was it? Oh! Something called the SCA."

"The Society for Creative Anachronism?"

"Yeah, that's it! He made suits for himself and others. Even had a website where he sold them. He offered to make me a suit for $1,500, but I couldn't afford it. When the dead rose, he was killed and I remembered his chain mail and took all that was at his place." He tapped the table. "If I can get you back, there's something you must do."

"Oh? What?"

"Kill the son of a bitch who's doing this and destroy his machine. I may be wrong still, but if he's found a way to send people here, what if he brings a bunch of zombies to _your _universe?"

Daria stared at him in shock.

"When they first appeared here, it took the authorities five days to even realize what to do!" He shook his head. "The same thing could happen on your world. It only took three months for everything to fall apart on _this _world."

She closed her eyes and shivered at the thought.


	6. Surprises

**6. Surprises**

For dessert, Robert gave Daria two Snickers bars and took two for himself. "Normally, I limit myself to one of these a day, but this is a celebration."

"I was taken from my hometown and brought here against my will," Daria said, her voice petulant. "I don't think it's anything to celebrate."

He blushed, sighed and said, "I apologize. But we still have something to celebrate. God knows I have little to celebrate anymore. But you are alive, unbitten and really all you suffered was some embarrassment."

The memory of wetting herself made Daria blush and she ate one candy bar in silence.

He ate one candy bar quickly and sighed in contentment. "They're still pretty good, considering they're more than a year old," he said and looked at her. "I owe you another apology."

She looked up at him and asked, "Oh?"

"I held onto your thigh during our run to my shelter," he said. "I'm sorry about having to do that, but I had to hold you in place so I didn't drop you. I don't think you could have run very well in those Doc Martens anyway."

"I don't run at all," she said. "It's against my beliefs. Do those things run?"

"No," he said and shook his head. "They don't really have to. Once they're aware of you being nearby, they're able to home in on you. They also have the ability to work together to cut off escape routes - without any communication. That's how so many people died at the beginning."

"How many people did Fostoria have before...?" she asked.

Robert laughed, a short and bitter laugh. "Nearly fourteen thousand."

Daria blinked. "Are you the only one left?"

"As far as I know. The thing is that there are so many dead here in the city, and I don't know how many of them were originally from Fostoria. Many of the dead here could be from the surrounding communities. Hell, some of them could even be from as far away as Findlay or Tiffin or even Toledo." He ate the second candy bar, finished his soft drink and stretched. "I now apologize for being a rude host, but I'm going to bed."

Daria looked confused. "But the sun's just now going down."

"I know that," he said. "I used a lot of energy today and anymore, I find that when it gets dark out, I get very tired. I'm not as well fed as I used to be." He stood up, yawned and stretched again. "I used to make do with five hours of sleep. Now I get ten to twelve hours a day. I understand that you aren't tired. Tomorrow morning, I'll fit you for some chain mail and get you some weapons. Do you like to read?"

"Yes." She stood up as well.

"Come with me." He closed the curtain before they left the room. Then he led her to an office that had an already-made bed as well as a desk and a couch. It looked like a private college dorm room. "I anticipated having other survivors living with me. After Lauren and Janelle left, it was just me and Buster."

"Who were Lauren and Janelle?" she asked.

Robert looked out the window at the setting sun and blinked. "They were the only other survivors from our first rescue shelter," he said and turned to her. "The Holiday Inn Express on the north side of town was the rescue shelter for our neighborhood. Two hundred of us were in there. Some of the people there were already bitten, but hid it from us. When they died..." He closed his eyes and covered his face with his hands.

Daria stood embarrassed as he cried into his hands. She touched the back of his right shoulder and said, "I'm sorry."

He waved his right hand and wiped his eyes. "_I'm sorry," _he said. "I shouldn't put your through my loss like that. Not only did I lose Maggie there, but my three children as well."

"How did you survive?"

"I was on corpse disposal duty," he said. "When the truck came back to the hotel, the zombies were going in and out of the building. The driver of the truck took off and left me out there with a pistol and a crowbar." He took a deep breath. "The realization that my family was dead made me...I...I went beserk. I don't know how many I beat down with the crowbar. Janelle showed up with an arsenal and shot up a bunch of them, then forced me into her truck. I fought her and she cold-cocked me. If it was for her and Lauren, I'd be dead right now."

"Where did Lauren and Janelle go?"

"Montana. Clear, open spaces, few people - few zombies. They made it, cause they called me on the cell phone. Damn thing still worked, even though we had no power. It took them almost a month, but they made it. I hope they don't get bothered. They're vicious when they're pissed."

"Why would they get bothered?"

Robert sighed and glanced at her. "They're bisexuals. They killed one yahoo here because he pushed them over it." He yawned again. "Daria, you know where the bathroom and the books are. Use a candle for light, but keep the curtains closed, please. I still fear the possibility of a mass attack by the dead." He rubbed his right eye. "Good night."

"Good night."

Daria watched him disappear in the office where Buster hid earlier. The dog watched her cautiously and followed Robert in his room. He shut the door and she moved to her room. She lit the candle in the holder and shivered as she found herself alone. _I don't like being all alone right now. But he scares me, too. What if he gets horny? After all, beggars can't be choosers and I could be the main course on _his _menu. What do I do then?_

Quietly, she walked to the room with the books and began her search for something interesting to read.

**oooooooooo**

"I'll make a deal with you," Dr. Stone said from the floor of the van.

"Oh?" Jane said and smirked at him from the chair. "What makes you think you're in the position to bargain?"

The old man gave her a smile and said, "_I _know how to operate my machine. You do not."

"What kind of deal?" Trent asked and crossed his arms over his chest. "All we want is Daria, safe and sound."

Stone nodded and said, "I'll help you get your friend back and you let me go - with my van and my machine. We'll be even and you'll never see me again."

Jane stared at him for several seconds, then looked at Trent, who asked, "What if Daria's dead - like Dr. Casey?"

"We do not know that Dr. Casey is dead!" the old man said quickly. "Is your friend a smart girl?"

Jane nodded. "She's very smart."

"That's good," Stone replied. "She'll be O.K., then. Don't worry, I'll help you get her back."

"We'll see about this deal," she said. "We'll see."

**oooooooooo**

Daria sighed as she moved on to the fifth (or was it the sixth) stack of books. _Damn, I miss Jane. _She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _I miss Mom, Dad and Quinn, too. I...I hope I get back home._

Though she wasn't a religious person, she debated praying to get home. She finally shook her head and continued her search.

Halfway down the stack, she saw the words "...When Parents Pounce! When Makeup Smears! When Milk Starts Getting That Smell!" on one book, but couldn't see the artwork with it.

"Sounds interesting," she said and pulled it out. When she turned it over, she froze and her mouth dropped open in shock. The cover showed an auburn-haired teen in round glasses, a green jacket, orange pullover blouse, black pleated skirt and Doc Martens. When she read the words _The Daria Database, _she exhaled and muttered, "Oh, shit!"

After several seconds, she turned to dig through another stack. The look on her face showed a strong determination.

**oooooooooo**

Nearly an hour later, Daria sat up on the bed, the covers pulled up to shoulders. The book she had found laid on the bedside table. She blinked as she thought about what she had read.

_I need Jane more than ever now, _she thought as she set her glasses on the table. _I don't know what the hell to think anymore_.

The door to her room was not only closed, but she had locked it and placed a chair against the doorknob.

She grabbed her bookbag, opened it and placed the books in with her school gear. Then she set the bag back on the floor, blew out the candle and then laid on her left side. After several seconds, she adjusted the covers and partially covered her head.

**oooooooooo**

It took Daria almost two hours to fall asleep. But she opened her eyes as she heard the door open. Before she could move, she felt a strong hand clamp onto her mouth. _Oh, no! Oh, shit no!_

"Relax," she heard Robert's voice in her right ear. "No need to get tense. I'll be gentle, I'll be kind. I won't hurt you at all."

Then she felt the back of the nightshirt tear down and tears escaped her eyes. She moved her right hand to his arm, but he moved as if her hand wasn't even there. He grabbed the front of the ruined shirt and pulled it away from her.

"Nice," he whispered. "Very nice indeed."

Daria shook her head as she felt him kiss her right cheek. She then screamed into his hand.

**oooooooooo**

Daria quickly sat up in the bed, her eyes wide open and her breaths hard and deep. She felt down and saw that her nightshirt was still on and intact. _Damned nightmare! _

She put on her glasses and moved to the door. It was still locked and the chair was still braced against the doorknob.

As quietly as she could, she moved the chair and opened the door. She moved down the hall to Robert's room and heard him snore through the door.

After a minute of listening, she quietly moved back to her room, shut and locked the door and went back to bed.

(To be continued...)


	7. Outfitting Daria

**7. Outfitting Daria**

Robert knocked on Daria's door at 7 a.m. and she opened her eyes. _Shit. I didn't sleep worth a damn._

He knocked again and she called out, "I'm awake! I'm awake!"

"I'm sorry to get you up so early," he said through the door, "but we have work to do."

"What do you mean we?" she said quickly and put her hand on her forehead. _Oh, that was smooth, Daria. Nice way to treat the man who saved your life._

The tone of his voice didn't change, however. "I need to get you outfitted in chain mail and get you some weapons. The earlier we do this, the better off we will be, and the readier we will be when that 'transporter' or whatever it is, is used again."

Daria sat up and got out of bed. "I'll be out in a minute," she called out as she changed out of her nightshirt and into her clothes.

"I'll be in the dining room with our breakfast," he said and walked off

**oooooooooo**

Daria sat at the table as Robert laid out toaster pastries still in their Mylar wrappers. Next to them, he sat out two apple juice boxes and a butterscotch pudding pack. "What flavor are these?" she asked as she picked up the pastries.

"Frosted strawberry," he said and gave her a weak smile. "You don't look like you slept very well."

"I had a bad nightmare," she said and laid her forehead on the table.

He nodded in understanding. "I've had quite a few of them myself. Not as many as I did when it first happened."

"Robert?"

"Yes?"

Daria lifted her head and looked at him over the tops of her glasses. "Did you ever watch MTV?"

He looked surprised at the question and said, "Some, but not much. I quit watching it after Maggie got mad at me for watching _The Real World_."

"Why would she get mad over that? What was wrong with it?"

"They were in Jamaica and the girls were swimming topless. I was upset because MTV blacked out the girls'...uh...relevant parts."

She blinked and stared at him. "What?"

He shook his head at the memory. "Maggie almost made _me _black out. She wanted to know why I was into dysfunctional college-aged girls."

_I'm almost college-aged, _she thought. _Will you want to see my 'relevant parts'? _"Did you watch any of their cartoons?"

A smile crossed his face and he laughed briefly. "Now that you mention it, I did. I used to watch a cartoon about two stupid teens, called _Beavis and Butt-Head_."

Daria felt her mouth dry up and she forced herself to breathe.

"It was dumb fun, and even Maggie laughed at their antics. Didn't you ever see them?"

_More than I ever want to admit_, she thought and said, "No."

"Oh? Didn't your MTV carry it?"

She shook her head. "The only cartoon I remember from them was _The Maxx_."

"I saw that one a couple of times." He opened his pastry wrapper. "Never did understand it. Why do you ask about it?" He bit into one pastry.

"I'm just curious." She also opened her wrapper and started her breakfast as well.

Robert looked at her silently for a few seconds, then turned his attention to his juice box.

**oooooooooo**

"You need to tell me where each dial is set," Dr. Stone said from the floor of the van.

Jane grabbed the box and held it on her lap. She looked at the setting knobs and asked, "What is this? It looks like you used knobs off of old machinery. Where's the digital stuff?"

Stone looked at her and rolled his eyes in exasperation. "I am an inventor and scientist, girl, and let's just say that this is my Beta version. The 'digital stuff', as you call it, comes later with the better funding."

"You have to learn a regular guitar before you move on to electric ones, Janey," Trent said from the driver's seat.

"Precisely!" Stone said. "If you would untie me, I could do this much better and much faster."

Jane looked at Trent, her eyebrows raised. "Let me know when you learn to play the guitar, Trent, and I'll believe that one." To Stone, she said, "Do I have the word 'stupid' written on my forehead? I give you this box and you'd have Trent and me wherever you sent Daria in no time flat."

Stone saw the girl's determination in her features, as well as the mistrust in her eyes and sighed. "Very well. Start from the first dial and tell me the numbers, one by one."

Jane started reading the numbers to him.

**oooooooooo**

After breakfast, Robert took Daria into a first floor conference room, and used a Coleman lantern for the light.

Table after table in the room was covered with rifles, shotguns, and pistols, as well as ammunition and accessories for them. Daria blinked as she looked over the tables in amazement. "Do you think you have enough guns?" she asked and looked at him.

"With zombies, there are never too many guns," he said simply. "Thirteen months ago, all I had were two shotguns and a pistol. Lauren, Janelle and I gathered all this before they left." He laughed briefly and set the lantern on one table. "They took half of what we gathered with them."

"It looks like you're ready to fight a war," she said. "When did you find the time to get all of this? When did you even get the chance?"

"A lot of it we took off of zombies we eliminated," he said. "We also raided a few pawnshops and gun stores, not to mention the homes of known, but dead, gun nuts. Or, at least the ones that Janelle knew, since she _was_ one of them." He motioned towards one table. "Let's start with the pistols. You'll need one, but I recommend three. How much experience do you have with firearms?"

"None."

"I'll start you with revolvers, then," he said and led her to a table covered with revolvers. "Don't bother with the ones on the right."

"Oh? Why not?"

"They're .22s and .38s. They don't work on zombies that well - unless you're lucky."

Daria looked at the other pistols and picked up one. "I'll use this one," she said.

Robert looked at the pistol she chose and nodded. "Colt Python - a .357 Magnum. Nice weapon." He glanced at her. "My backup is a Colt Anaconda. Any reason you chose the Python?"

She thought about it, blinked and shrugged. "No. It just seems right to me."

He picked up a holster and handed it to her. "Put this on."

"Over my skirt?" He nodded and she put on the holster. It hung loose on her.

"O.K., give it back to me." She took it off and handed it to him. He slung it over his left shoulder and said, "I'll hammer in a couple more holes later on so that you can wear it. Choose a second and third pistol and you can try them out next."

Daria picked up a .45-caliber revolver and a second .357 Magnum, then followed Robert into the next room.

"This room was sound-proofed back when the world was...normal," he said and held up the lantern. "Must have been used for band practice or lessons or something like that. It makes a good gun practice room." He set lit candles on the floor at the end of the room, which illuminated a target resembling a man. The target had circles on the chest and head areas.

For the next several minutes, Robert showed Daria how to open the cylinder, load bullets and pull out empty shells. Finally, he had her stand near a strip of duct tape placed on the floor. "Now to fire," he said, "you aim ahead of you, pull back the hammer and then pull the trigger."

"I can go ahead and shoot?" she asked and glanced at him.

"I've done it many times myself," he said. "Janelle fixed the room up as an indoor shooting range. Go ahead and aim."

Daria lifted the pistol and aimed it ahead of her.

Robert moved behind her, reached ahead and adjusted the pistol in her hands. "Don't be so tense, Daria. This is a powerful weapon. It can hurt you - even kill you - if you use it wrong."

She bit her lower lip due to his closeness and fought the urge to cry out. _If you wanted me, I couldn't stop you_, she thought. _Talk to him, dammit! Tell him that he's freaking you out!_

"Now pull the trigger," he said. "But don't jerk it. Just pull it gently."

Daria pulled the trigger and the pistol roared; the flash lit the room and she winced as she felt the powder burn her hands.

"That's good," Robert said and moved his hands to her arms. "Shoot it again."

Daria looked at his hands, blinked and pulled the trigger again.

He moved his hands to her hips. "Again."

She closed her eyes, suppressed a sob and obeyed.

Then he moved his hands to the bottom of her pullover, lifted it up slightly and moved his hands inside it. He also kissed her right ear and the side of her neck. "Again."

"Don't!" she said loudly. "Please! Don't do this to me!"

**oooooooooo**

"Daria! What do you mean 'Don't do this to me?' What are you talking about?"

The teen blinked and looked to her right. Robert stood beside her, confusion on his face. She looked down. Her blouse was still in place, his hands were at his sides and she felt her face heat up. "I...I'm sorry."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "O.K. Let's have it out right now. I want to know just what the hell is going through your mind. Several times since I brought you here, I've had the feeling that you're scared, afraid of me. I told you that I'm not going to hurt you. What are you thinking about?"

Daria wanted to bolt from the room, but she knew that he'd follow her and push her to tell him. She felt as if she wanted to die, but she swallowed and said, "I'm scared of you! I'm sorry, Robert, but I'm scared! I'm scared of being eaten alive, but I'm also scared of being raped by you! You carried me and ran across town with me as if I was some small child's toy! If you wanted to do that to me, I couldn't stop you."

Robert sighed and covered his eyes with his right hand. "Daria..." he said.

"If you want to do that, just don't hurt me! I...I don't want to die! I just want to go home! What if I can't get home? What do 'we' do then?"

"Stop it!" he said loudly and uncovered his eyes. "Just stop it!" When he had her attention, he continued, "I told you yesterday that I never had to rape anyone. When I have sex with a woman, it's because she wants it just as much as I want it. I wouldn't have it any other way." He smiled slightly. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Do I stare at you? It's been several months since I've been with an uninjured, normal person, especially a young and pretty girl. If I've stared at you, I apologize. Have I done anything else to make you uncomfortable? I know I touched your thigh, but I explained that one and apologized for it. Have I done something else?"

"No," she said, looked away and slightly cowered.

"Stand up straight and face me. Do. Not. Be. Afraid. Of. Me. There's something you should know. Remember when I told you that I got tired because I wasn't as well fed as I used to be?"

She nodded and swallowed again.

"Well, my sex drive isn't what it used to be, either. Most of my energy has been focused on staying alive." He smiled. "You're a cute kid, you really are. But you're still a kid and I don't make moves on school kids."

Daria gave him a weak smile in return. "You're probably old enough to be my dad, anyway," she said.

"How old do you think I am?" he asked, a wry smile on his face.

"Forty or forty-five."

Robert sighed and laughed briefly. "I turn thirty-two in a few weeks, Daria. Fighting zombies ages you."

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." He picked up the lantern, then walked down and checked out the target. "You got a chest shot and a neck shot. Good start. If you want we can try again later - if you're not already home by then." He blew out the candles near the target. "Let's go back upstairs and I'll work on your holster belt."

As they walked up to the second floor, Daria looked at him. "Robert?"

"Yes?"

"I apologize for all of that."

"It's O.K. I understand."

She cleared her throat. "I have a question."

"Yes?"

She looked down briefly, then back up at his face. "You told me yesterday that after he died, you shot Billy in the head twice. Those zombies you shot yesterday, you shot them at least twice, except the ones you got with the shotgun. Is there a reason for the two shots?"

Robert looked at her, his expression surprised. He smiled and nodded. "You're very perceptive and you pay attention," he said. "That's good."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Most teenagers don't. I didn't when I was that age. Maggie did pay attention, but she was also a very smart girl...and woman." He sighed and motioned her to follow him.

They went back to the armory, where he picked up a rifle. "Follow me," he said.

Robert led Daria upstairs to the building's roof and they walked outside into the sunlight.

Instantly, she frowned, coughed and said, "It stinks out here!"

"The dead," he said and glanced at her. "That's what it smells like - when the wind stops. Fortunately, we're close enough to Lake Erie to have a fairly constant wind." They walked to near the building's edge and he pointed ahead. "See that zombie over there? Two blocks away. The one in the red shirt?"

She squinted and looked ahead. "Yeah."

"Watch him. I'm going to give him one right through the forehead."

Daria looked at Robert in amazement. "What?"

"Keep your eyes on the zombie! This is an important lesson here."

She looked back at the dead man as Robert shouldered the rifle, aimed and cocked it.

"This is a .22-caliber rifle," he said. "It uses the long rifle shells. Keep watching him, even after I shoot him." He pulled the trigger.

The sound of the shot wasn't very loud, but the bullet hit the zombie's forehead dead center. Daria winced at the spray of blood and watched the dead man fall onto his back. For almost three minutes, he laid there. "What am I watching him for?" she asked.

"Wait for it."

Suddenly, the zombie sat up and got to his feet. It looked around in confusion, then walked off.

Daria exhaled loudly and whispered, "Hell."

"Yes. Hell." He saw her stare at him and he continued, "At least three of those zombies I shot yesterday are already back on their feet and are very mobile. Not to mention just as hungry as they were before."

"But I thought...I thought that when a zombie was shot through the head, it was really killed then."

He smiled patiently at her. "Where did you get your info on that one? Do you have zombies in your universe?"

She blinked. "Only in the movies and horror novels. Plus a few websites dedicated to those movies and that genre."

"It was the same way here," Robert said. "Did George A. Romero make the zombie movies in your universe? The major ones, that is?"

"Yes."

"That was our only guideline to go by, Daria. That's part of the reason things fell apart so fast. We went by what _Night of the Living Dead_, _Dawn of the Dead _and _Day of the Dead _showed us. Head shots _are_ effective - if you do damage to the right part of the brain." He tapped the back of his head near the brain stem and the top of the cervical section of his backbone. "If you don't decapitate them, you have to damage this area badly enough so that the remaining brain tissue can't reanimate them." The girl still had a shocked expression on her face and he gently patted her left arm. "Let's go back inside and look over the chain mail."

They went back into the building and shut the door.

**oooooooooo**

"This is heavy!" Daria said as she looked over herself in the mirror. "You made it look easy the way you ran and carried me."

"I was a football player through middle and high school, Daria," Robert said. "Coach Howard, God bless his soul, was a retired Marine and put us through Marine PT every chance he got. By the time I graduated from high school, I could run ten miles with an eighty-pound pack on my back." He took a drink of water and laughed gently.

"What are you laughing at?" she asked, obviously irked.

"Your expression. It's priceless. Keep it on for now. Get used to the feel, because when we go over to where you first showed up, you'll have to have it on."

She groaned and shook her head. "This sucks!"

**oooooooooo**

At nearly two-thirty, Robert and Daria left the shelter from the roof. But getting started wasn't as easy for the teen as she might have thought.

"This part is tricky," he said. "I'll go first and be ready to catch you in case you slip and fall." He climbed over the ledge and dropped onto a fire escape. "O.K., now you climb over and join me."

She swallowed nervously as she looked down at him. She glanced around, but none of the nearby zombies noticed them - yet. "I'm not sure I can do it," she said.

"Yes, you can," he said calmly. "You can do this. You have to do this, if you want to go home."

"I'll fall," she said quickly. "The fire escape won't be able to hold both of us."

Robert smiled and said, "Yes, it will, Daria. If you fall, I'll catch you. Don't worry. If you feel yourself slip, just stay calm and I'll be there for you. I promise."

When he said that, she stared at him, her mouth open.

"Just trust me and don't cry out if you do slip," he said. "Now, climb over."

Daria climbed over the ledge and lowered herself towards him and the fire escape, then stopped. She hung still and clamped her eyes shut.

Robert was there and wrapped his arms around her thighs. "I've got you, Daria," he said. "Let go and trust me."

She released the ledge and he moved her slightly to his right, then set her upon her feet. She opened her eyes, looked down at the alley behind the building, then at him. "Thank you."

"No problem," he said. "Here's what we have to deal with. We can go the whole distance and not run into one zombie. That does happen sometimes. Or we may see a group of them on every street corner. There's really no way to tell. We'll talk low, like we did yesterday."

"What happens if there are too many out?" she asked.

"We'll come back here - quickly." He shrugged. "If we have to run, expect to be on my left shoulder again. Apologies again for holding your thighs - and if I have to do it again."

"I understand."

Robert cleared his throat and moved to the stairs. "This is important. Whatever you do, if you see something shocking - don't scream! You handled yourself pretty good yesterday, but we really didn't run into too many of those things, either. Got it?"

Daria nodded.

"Let's go, then." They climbed down to the lowest level of the fire escape and he looked at the girl. "I'll go down first. The last ladder swings down and when you step off, it swings back up - loudly. Make sure I'm holding it before you let go of it."

The ladder went down with Robert's weight and he climbed down to the street. He looked around cautiously and motioned for Daria to follow him.

She climbed down to his level and after she made sure that he had a hold of the ladder, she stepped off. He carefully guided it back up and it only made a small metallic clang. "What keeps them from pulling it down and climbing up on it?" she asked.

"They don't know how - yet," he said. "That's why I lock and block the door to the roof."

She looked over the obvious weapons he carried. The top of a crowbar hung out from his left shoulder and a rifle was slung over his right shoulder. That didn't even count the revolver in his right hand.

As they walked down the street, they looked around carefully. "What about the front door?" she asked. "I saw you seal it off yesterday."

"I took care of it right after lunch," he said. "I do this all the time, Daria. If I happen to forget to unseal the door, well, I have a grappling hook and rope and can climb."

"I can't, especially not in this!" She held her pistol in her right hand as well. "Why do you tie your pistols down like that?"

"That way I can let go of them and not have to worry about them."

Buster popped his head out of Robert's chain mail neck hole and whined.

"Get back in there, boy, at least until the Meclizine kicks in."

"Why did you give him a motion sickness pill?" she asked.

"It's the only thing I know of to sedate him with. If you can make it back, he's going with you. Get him back to his owner."

She looked at him. "I know Mr. DeMartino. He's my history teacher. But shouldn't we have brought some of the other stuff with us? From the other Lawndale people?"

For several seconds, Robert said nothing. Finally, he sighed. "No. I don't know how it is in your universe, Daria, but here, before things fell apart, many states didn't need a corpse to make a murder charge stick. Too chancy. You're just going to have to remain quiet about it...for the rest of your life."

She glanced at him and said nothing more.

**oooooooooo**

They reached the spot where Robert had rescued her at five after three. The bodies of four zombies laid on the ground. "See what I mean?" he asked, his voice lower than it was earlier. "Which way do we go?"

She pointed to where she saw the wrecked cars down the street. "That way."

When they reached the cars, she nodded towards the side street and said, "We go left here."

As they walked down, a zombie hobbled out from the side of a house. It had once been an old man and was clad in pajamas and a soiled green robe that hung open. Robert grabbed the crowbar, whipped it out and ran up to it. Without a word, he clubbed the elderly zombie onto the ground and walked back to Daria, who stood still and shocked.

"Shit!" she spat out. "I'll never get used to that!"

He glanced at her briefly and said, "If we're lucky, you won't be here long enough to get used to it."

A few minutes later, Daria stopped him in front of the white house and said, "It was right here. Now, how long do we wait?"

"Until four. None of that...stuff happened after four." He pointed at the enclosed porch and said, "We should wait there. It'll keep us out of sight until we leave again."

"What if there are some of those...zombies...in the house?" she asked as they walked up the sidewalk slowly.

He held up the crowbar as he scanned the area. "Then, they'll get a big headache."

Daria looked over the chain mail she wore and the weapons she carried. "What about all this?" she asked. "Do I take it with me?"

He nodded. "You probably won't have much time. Consider them gifts from me."

They waited on the porch in silence. Daria sat on an old love seat, while Robert waited near the front door. Occasionally, he looked inside the one window to the house, but there was nothing inside that moved.

Four o'clock came and passed and nothing happened. They waited until four-thirty, then left. The only sound beside their footsteps was the light snoring of the beagle inside Robert's chain mail.

Daria looked ahead and not at Robert as they walked. A tear ran down her left cheek, but she didn't cry.


	8. Raiders

**8. Raiders**

The walk back to the shelter seemed even slower to Daria than the walk over. Robert stopped her when they saw a group of zombies moving around in a park, and they ended up walking two streets over. When he thought that they were far enough away, he leaned his head closer to hers and whispered, "They sense us out here. They just don't know where we are - yet."

"Are you sure they don't run?" she whispered back and looked behind them. So far they were still in the clear, but it took all of her effort to remain calm.

He nodded and gave her a small smile. "I'm sure. Like I said before, they don't really need to. Whatever else they lack, their cooperation skills with each other are unmatched. Once they detect us, they'll move to trap us, then attack. I've seen it happen many times."

Daria shuddered. "You make it sound like nothing. What would happen to us then?"

Robert briefly glanced at her and said, "More than likely, we'd die."

"You're awfully calm about it."

"Not much I can do about it, other than what I'm already doing. No sense worrying about it."

She looked at him in silence and followed him.

At one intersection, Robert stopped and Daria stopped beside him. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"We're being watched," he said. He pointed down one street cluttered with wrecked and abandoned cars and trucks. "We have to go that way, but someone, something, is watching us."

"How do you know?" she asked.

"I can feel it." He looked behind them and all around slowly. "You know how you can feel it when someone stares at you?" She nodded. "My senses are more alert than before and I just feel eyes on us. We'll move slow through here. Stay right behind me as we go by these vehicles and be alert. Sometimes, the dead hide behind things."

As Robert led her through the automobile maze, Daria felt the urge to run in panic. She held the Colt in her hands and looked around with caution. He checked around each vehicle carefully as they moved.

"I hate this shit!" he muttered and she thought, _So do I._

As he looked around the front of a blue pickup truck, the driver's rearview mirror shattered and the sound of a rifle shot reached them. Daria froze, but Robert grabbed her and pulled her down behind the other side.

"What was it?" she asked, her voice panicked. "Who shot at us?"

"Apparently, we _aren't_ alone," he said and reached into a pocket sewn on the outside of his right blue jeans leg. At the same time, he looked under all the vehicles around them and added, "Good. No dead freaks around us here - yet. But they heard the rifle shot. Count on it."

She watched in shock as he pulled a stick of dynamite, with a six-to-seven inch fuse attached, out of his pocket. "Is there anything you _don't_ carry?" she asked.

"I don't have a crossbow," he said and glanced at her, "and one would be handy right now."

"What are you going to do with it?"

He smiled. "When I figure out where they are, I'll light this and send it to them. It's my way of saying 'I am not happy with you.'"

"No shit!" she said and he chuckled.

"Hey! You behind the truck!" a male voice yelled from the inside of what was once a family dining restaurant.

"Keep a watch out for zombies, Daria," he told the teen again. Then he yelled back, "What do you want?"

"We want the pussy!"

'_We'. More than one. _Daria's face flushed and she glared towards the restaurant. "Have you got two sticks?" she asked. "I've got an answer for them!"

Robert smiled, held up his right hand and said, "Watch our backs! Let _me_ take care of these idiots. Those dead bastards are real good at sneaking up on you."

"Make her strip to the skin!" the voice yelled at them. "Have her walk towards us with her hands on top of her head! _You_ can carry your ass back the way you came! What do say to that?"

Robert lit the fuse and carefully looked around the side of the truck. "Oh, yeah, I can do this," he muttered. He jumped up and threw the dynamite at the restaurant. "EAT ME!" he yelled, then dove back down beside Daria.

"Oh, shit! That's--" The front of the restaurant exploded loudly and Robert covered Daria's head with his body.

The auburn-haired teen grimaced as the sound assaulted her ears and watched as debris fell all around them.

As their hearing returned to normal, Robert tapped Daria and said, "Let's get the hell out of Dodge, kid. Every zombie within earshot will be here soon to see what's going on. If those assholes are still alive, let _them_ be on the dinner menu instead of us."

The two carefully got to their feet, but kept bent over as they rushed off to the next street. The sound of a crying male reached them and Daria stopped, "Wait! It sounds like a boy in the wreckage, not a man!"

"Probably a teenager," Robert said. "Come on!"

"You mean that we're just going to leave him to die?"

He stopped and looked at her. "Yes, we are. If they came to us and tried to be friendly, I'd give them a chance. Instead they came on like raiders, and got their just desserts."

She shuddered and briefly closed her eyes, then followed her companion. The beagle whined from inside his chain mail as they moved off down the next street.

Robert led her down several different streets, then stopped her at the side of a bar. They each drank a pint bottle of water and rested against the wooden building. He scanned the area as they rested and said, "The one thing you have to remember is that there's no police, no emergency services, no government, not anymore. It's every man for himself, and some are just plain evil."

"I'm sorry I hesitated," she said. "It's just that he started crying and..."

He nodded and looked inside the chain mail at the dog. "It's O.K., Buster. We'll be home soon." To Daria, he said, "That's a bully for you. They're rough and tough until you knock them down. Then they cry like a baby. Just keep in mind what he called you and the demands he made. Trust me, _your_ cries would have fed their egos. Let's go!"

**oooooooooo**

"One of those numbers is not right," Dr. Stone said from the floor of the van.

"What do you mean?" Jane asked, her voice obviously a demand. "I read them just as I saw them here!"

The old man closed his eyes and said slowly, "The fifth number. Read it off again."

"Four."

"What's wrong with that number?" Trent asked. "I don't understand."

"It should be a nine," Stone said. "Hold the box to where I can see it."

Jane did and the man squinted at the fifth dial. "Oh, shit," he said and laid his head on the floor.

"What do you mean, 'oh, shit'?" She asked quickly. "This better not be bad news. What does it mean? Do I change it?"

"NO!" he said quickly. "We'll have to leave that number as it is."

"Well, what does it mean?" she asked.

"It means that I didn't send your friend to Fostoria, Ohio, that's what it means."

Jane blinked and stared at him. "Where the hell did you send her then?"

He sighed and shook his head.

Trent leaned down and asked, "Where is Daria?"

"I don't know."

**oooooooooo**

As Daria and Robert reached the shelter, they stopped and looked at the three zombies as they beat on the door. They weren't noticed and stared at the unwelcome visitors. "That's not a good sign, is it?" she asked.

He drew a pistol and said, "No, it isn't. I hate doing this here, but there's too many to use the crowbar on. You get the tall skinny one. I'll take care of the other two. Then, once we get inside and I seal it off, we'll be secure."

Daria lifted the Python and shook as she aimed at the tall zombie. It turned to look at her and moaned loudly. Chills went down her spine and she pulled the trigger. The bullet hit the side of the creature's neck and blood shot out the exit wound onto the building.

At the same time, Robert fired three shots each into the other two zombie's heads and they fell onto the sidewalk.

The zombie Daria shot fell back against the brick, looked at her in confusion and moved towards her, its head bent to the left.

"Shoot it again!" Robert said and Daria obeyed. The bullet hit the top of the dead man's chest and it once again fell back against the brick.

Before she could shoot again, Robert moved up and fired a quick two shots into the creature's head. Its body slid down the brick and laid over on the sidewalk.

As Robert quickly unlocked the door, he glanced at Daria and said, "_You_ are going to practice with the pistol once we get inside, young lady. If you can't make head shots, you're just wasting lead and risking our lives."

"But I was planning on taking a shower!" she said. "I feel sweaty and grungy. I've worked out more today than I do in a month!"

He opened the door and they quickly went inside. Once again, they were in the dark as he locked the door and sealed it off. "You might as well wait on that shower. We need to get out of the chain mail, plus I have to get this dog out of the infant carrier before he pisses on me. Then we'll take a breather and go shooting."

_Dammit, this sucks! _Daria thought.

**oooooooooo**

During supper, they ate a meal of Campbell's Vegetable Beef Soup, rice slow cooked in the solar cookers and crackers from a military MRE. Daria glanced at Robert several times as they ate, but said nothing. Finally, he said, "Something's on your mind, Daria, so spill it."

She set her spoon on the bowl and said, "You told me yesterday that you don't count on lasting too much longer."

"I did?"

"Yes, you did. Are you going to kill yourself?" He looked at her briefly, then looked back down and said nothing. "Robert, I have a better idea." He looked back at her. "If Buster and I can return to my universe, then you should come with us. It's better than committing suicide."

He stared at her and sighed heavily. "What would I do?" he asked. "I'd have no job, I'd be homeless and I'd be out of place in your world."

Daria ate some of her soup, then said, "You'd be alive, free to pursue a new life."

"Have you ever seen _Waterworld_?"

She gave a short laugh, then said, "It wasn't that good."

"That's your opinion. I happened to like it."

"What does it have to do with my suggestion?"

He leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. "Near the end of the movie, they find dry land. But I will never forget the look on the Mariner's face. He was terrified - utterly terrified. He was out of place and knew it." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I've fought the dead for more than a year. I've killed raiders and...bad guys, too. If I go to your world, I'll be a freak - a monster."

"You aren't a monster!" she protested. "You saved my life and Buster's, as well. I know I don't know you, but from what I've seen so far, you're a decent, kind man. You're also a smart man, I believe. All those books you have - are they yours?"

"No," he said and leaned on the table with his elbows. "For a month, I had an idea to save what books I could to preserve...who we were." He covered his face with his hands. "I realized that once I'm gone, they'll just rot. I gave up."

Daria looked down at her hands, then said, "You can readjust to a normal life, Robert. I'll...I'll help you as much as I can."

He stared at her in amazement for several seconds, then got up and walked to the window. As he looked outside, he asked, "Why would you do that for me?"

"Why did you do all that you've done for me so far?" she asked quickly.

"Because it's the right thing to do."

She stood up and moved behind him. "You have your answer, then."

Robert said nothing for several minutes as he looked at the approaching sunset. Then he closed the curtain and said, "I'll think about it, Daria. I'll think about it." He lightly touched her right shoulder, then walked out of the room. "Thank you."

Daria looked at Buster, who looked back up at her. He wagged his tail and sniffed her right boot. She knelt down and petted the animal. "Don't worry," she said as the dog licked her hand and wrist. "We won't forget you."

**oooooooooo**

After Robert went to bed, Daria waited for several minutes, then walked back to the room with the books. She set the candle on one table and began her search through a different stack. _I won't freak out, _she thought. _I won't freak out. I won't freak out_.

But, five minutes later, she stared at a large red book and read the cover. "_Reading Sucks_," she said. "Those morons have a large book dedicated to _them_, and all I have is that small paperback? There is no justice in this world."

She jumped as she heard something walk into the room and turned to see Buster move in with her. He carried a tennis ball and laid it at her feet, then looked up at her face. _Robert must have let him out of his room_. "I'll look in here just a little longer," she told the beagle and smiled at him. "Then we'll go to my room and play some. O.K.?"

The dog wagged his tail and still looked up at her.

"You didn't understand a word I said, did you?"

The dog wagged his tail and still looked up at her.

She sighed and returned to her search.

**oooooooooo**

For almost an hour, Daria sat on the floor and rolled or threw the tennis ball to different areas of her room while Buster chased it down and brought it back to her.

She finally stood up and stretched and Buster sniffed her legs. "I'm going to read a little, then go to sleep. O.K.?" As the dog just stared up at her and wagged his tail, she muttered, "Morgendorffer, all he heard was 'blah, blah, blah.'"

As it happened, she found a book titled _The Daria Diaries _as well as the _Beavis and Butt-Head _book, which she found out was a collection of four different books. As she looked over the second book about her, she thought, _At least there's no nudes of us in here._

A few folded-up papers fell out of the book and landed on the floor. She bent down and retrieved them to find the pages of a website titled _Daria World: All things Daria. _One page had a small ficlet in which she kissed Beavis. She shuddered as revulsion swept through her. _That makes me want to puke! I'd like to meet the author of this one in a dark alley. _

The second paper gave a biographical detail of Sandi Griffin, including her picture. "No accounting for taste," she muttered and looked at the third page.

That page was a screen capture of her standing nude behind a screen, while Jane stood with her paints. An easel stood in the background of what was apparently a wooden house in some wooded area. _No way! No freaking way!_

She placed the books and papers in her book bag, along with several other things she found, then set the bag on the floor. "I'm going to sleep," she told the dog, who still looked up at her from the floor. "Good night."

Daria blew out the candle and settled onto the bed. After she pulled the covers up to her neck, the beagle jumped up onto the bed. He moved up to her side and settled down beside her. She petted him and closed her eyes.

**oooooooooo**

The sound breaking wood caused Daria's eyes to open suddenly. _What was that? _she thought and sat up. She quickly put on her glasses and grabbed one of her pistols as she got out of the bed.

She left her room and saw several dark forms move out of the stairway into the hallway. They moaned and she nearly screamed. _Zombies! Oh, shit!_

Quickly, she pounded on Robert's door. "Robert! Zombies are in here! Robert!" She heard a muffled cry in the room and opened the door.

Inside, several zombies were hunched over his writhing body and she screamed. She lifted the pistol and shot several times at them. The bullets hit the bodies, but neither stopped them, nor slowed them down.

Then several hands grabbed her from behind; they pulled her into the hallway and onto the floor. She closed her eyes and screamed loudly as their fingers dug into her.

**oooooooooo**

"Daria!" the sound of Robert's voice made Daria jump and she sat up quickly in the bed. She heard the pounding on the door and his voice. "Daria! Are you O.K.? I heard you scream."

Buster had moved to the foot of the bed and looked up at her as she shook, her head in her hands. "I'm O.K.!" she yelled. "Another nightmare."

"Do you need anything?" he asked.

"No, I'll be all right," she replied and laid back down. "Sorry about that."

"No problem. I'm going back to bed. See you in the morning."

"Yeah." She closed her eyes and sighed. "Good night."


	9. Memories

**9. Memories**

The next morning, Daria walked into the dining room to find Robert looking outside the window at the street, his expression troubled.

"What's wrong?" she asked and moved near him.

He pointed down at the street and said, "My one fear has come true."

On the sidewalk outside the building, several zombies milled around the front door of the office building as two of them beat on the door.

The teen gasped and moved back. "Are we in danger?" she asked.

"Eventually," he said. "Enough of them _will_ take that door down - no matter how well sealed it is." He sighed and gave her a small smile. "To be honest, I'm surprised that they didn't figure it out before now."

She shivered and looked at the hall door nervously. "What do we do?"

Robert led her to the table and said, "Nothing - yet, except eat breakfast and plan for the day ahead. There's only seven or eight out there right now. It'll take two-to-three times that number to break the door. If even that many can do it."

He then set the table for breakfast. Each of them had a brown sugar-cinnamon toaster pastry, an applesauce packet and a couple of apple juice boxes.

As he sat down to eat, Daria looked at him and said, "Robert, if they break in, where will we go?"

He smiled at her again and said, "I have a couple of backup shelters. Don't worry."

"I don't know if I can eat," she said and rocked herself in the chair. "I just want to go home."

Robert took her right hand and squeezed it gently. "You have to eat to keep up your strength." He took the pastry and placed it in her hand. "Just relax. We'll eat, then prepare bug-out bags. Just in case." He turned his attention to his food and quickly ate the applesauce.

Daria ate her pastry and applesauce in silence, and looked at her right hand. _Why did you squeeze my hand? _she thought and glanced at him. He ate in silence as well.

But as he crinkled the wrapper in his hand, he looked down at the table. "I am sick and tired of cold breakfast pastries," he said. "I'm also sick of canned pasta dishes, canned soups and lukewarm canned soda."

He looked at the girl, who waited for him to continue. "Every day, I remember the foods I once ate. I miss going to a Chinese restaurant buffet. We had a good one here in town. I not only miss fresh bread, but I also miss the sub sandwiches that the gas station made. Damn, they were good, especially with an ice cold Dr Pepper and a bag of chips. Then there's Dairy Queen ice cream." He sighed and gave a short laugh. "I read somewhere once that it was basically ice cream with air whipped into it. I don't care - I want it again. Fresh made pizza. I want it, I want to burn my mouth with the melted cheese and I want the pepperoni grease on my fingers and chin. One time, little Jacob got the grease all over his new school clothes and Maggie got so mad...so mad...so..."

Daria watched as his expression fell; he closed his eyes and tears ran down his cheeks. She sat awkwardly still and waited.

After a minute, he looked at her again. His eyes glistened as he spoke. "If I go to your world, they may never be a Maggie waiting there for me. That doesn't really bother me as much as I thought it would. But what bothers me is that by going to your world, I abandon Maggie, Tammy, Jacob and Scotty. I don't know if I can do that."

"Robert, they're dead."

"I know that, Daria. I know that."

She looked at him and took a deep breath. "No matter where you are, Maggie and your children will always be with you. You'll keep them alive in your memories. Please, don't take this wrong, but I believe that they'd want you to stay alive. I believe they'd want you to start over."

Robert finished his juice and stood up. He deposited his waste in the trash can and said, "I'm going to shave, brush my teeth and work on an evacuation plan. When you're done, get your gear ready to go."

"Do I have to put on the chain mail yet?" she asked.

He shook his head and walked to the door. "Not yet."

"Why do you bother shaving?" she then asked. "I don't understand why you do that, all things considered."

He glanced at her from the hallway. "Because Maggie always liked me clean-shaven, and I like it, too."

"Describe Maggie to me," Daria said quickly. "Tell me about her."

A startled look crossed Robert's face and he stared at her in shock.

_Uh-oh, Morgendorffer. You've pissed him off._

Then a smile appeared on his face and she relaxed as he said, "She was four years younger than I was. We married a month after she graduated high school - almost ten years ago. I'm five-seven and she was an inch shorter than me. She was slender, slightly muscular and had wavy light brown hair down to her shoulders. One of her front teeth was chipped from an accident on the monkey bars in elementary school, but it was a part of her charm. I could carry her as easy I carried you. Here I am, broad-shouldered and strong, but she held my b--" A blush crossed his face and he closed his eyes. "Uh, never mind about that. She was not only my lover and my wife, she was also my best friend. I dream about her at least once a week."

"You do?"

He nodded. "If I leave this world, I may lose that. I don't know if I can risk it." He held up his right hand before she could say anything else. "I'm still thinking about what you said. I will decide." Then he walked off.

Daria exhaled and turned her attention to her juice boxes.

**oooooooooo**

"You'll need to clear away my stuff from the end of the van," Stone said. "When you create a teleportation field, anything in the way tends to explode. That's why I prefer outdoor experiments."

"Will we be able to bring back everyone you've sent over?" Jane asked. "You said that you did this nine times before you zapped Daria."

"I teleported her," the old man protested. "I didn't _zap_ her. As to your question, it's possible. But for any of them to be brought back, they have to be where I sent them."

"What if they aren't there?" Trent asked. "What then?"

Stone looked at the two and noticed that their expressions carried a strongly implied threat. "You said that your friend is very smart," he said quickly. "She will know that, I'm certain of it."

Trent looked at him for several more seconds, then moved to clear out a space in the back of the van.

Jane leaned closer to the old man and whispered, "If Daria is dead, I'll bury you up to your neck in the woods. Just imagine what wild predators will do to you there."

"She won't be dead!" he said. "I promise!"

"We'll see about that," she said.

**oooooooooo**

Daria made sure that her normal clothes were folded and placed in her bookbag. She insured that her weapons were loaded and she filled her pockets with ammunition.

After that, she walked in the hallway and listened. She heard a couple of thumps from the entrance and shuddered. Quickly, she moved into the dining room to see Robert place plates of canned lasagna in the solar cookers. "How many is out there now?" she asked.

"Take a look," he said.

"I...I'm afraid to," she said and bit her lower lip.

He moved to the window and glanced down at the street. "At least thirteen, maybe more." He stroked his chin and thought for a few seconds. "We may have to go to the secondary shelter if that...transporter thing...isn't used today." He looked at her. "Do you have everything of yours ready?"

She nodded and shook nervously.

"Stay calm, Daria. Even if they break the door, they still have to move the steel plate behind it. _That_ will take them awhile, which is how I planned it."

Confusion showed up in her features. "Why didn't you plan on totally keeping them out?"

He snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'd have to seal myself in here and never leave. It's possible, but not realistic. For one thing, I'd have to have a garden and a constant supply of water. I'm using five gallon water cooler jugs I found at a factory, supplemented by the rain. The supplies here will run out, eventually, even if they don't go bad. _If _I stay behind after you leave, I'll still have to leave Fostoria, just to have a garden and a well."

Daria looked at him and nodded, then left the room.

**oooooooooo**

In the book storage room, Daria moved to the table with the Lawndale artifacts. She looked at the door briefly, smiled at Buster as he walked up to her, then turned her attention to searching the items.

After a couple of minutes, Robert called out, "Daria?"

She closed one wallet and set it down, then yelled, "I'm in here!"

He walked into the room. "Here you are," he said. "What are you doing?"

Daria looked over one cellular phone and said, "Nothing much. Just thinking."

"O.K.," he said. His voice reflected a slight skepticism. "There's something I wanted to ask you." He fidgeted slightly as he spoke.

_Uh, oh. Here it comes. _"Oh?" She noticed his discomfort and tensed up. "What do you want to ask me?"

He looked away briefly, then at her. "If I get bit, will you shoot me?"

Relief swept through Daria, but she kept her emotions neutral. "Excuse me?"

"If a zombie bites me, I want you to put a bullet in the back of my head. Make sure I stay dead, you know."

She blinked and looked carefully at him. "Are you planning something you haven't told me about yet?"

"No!" he said quickly. "It's just that I'm not sure I can...kill myself, if the worst happens. I just don't want to walk around like _that_." He hesitated, then added, "I would do the same for you, Daria."

The teen nodded and said, "O.K., I'll do it - but we won't be in that situation, will we?"

Robert gave her a weak smile, sighed, and said, "No, we won't. Thank you, Daria." He turned to walk out of the room.

"Robert."

He turned back around to look at her.

"At breakfast, you squeezed my hand. Why did you do that?" He blushed and she continued, "Are you trying to send me a message? If you have _something_ you want to ask me, or just say to me, do it. Don't beat around the bush."

The man cleared his throat and looked at her. "I apologize," he said. "I had no right to do that, I know. It made you uncomfortable and I regret that."

"You didn't answer my question," she said. "Why did you do it?"

"Let me finish, Daria. Let me finish." She nodded and waited, so he then said, "Since Lauren and Janelle left, I've craved human contact, human touch. Sure, I've had Buster, but it isn't the same. I never realized just how much I'd miss other people. I never realized just how much I'd miss a simple, brief touch. When you arrived here unhurt, I was very happy inside. I had someone to talk to, to communicate with."

Daria raised her eyebrows, frowned and stared at him.

Robert got her message and added quickly, "At the same time, I was upset because as much as I wanted a friend, I didn't want one forced here against her, or his, will."

"Do you really want me to get home?" she asked.

"Yes! One, because it's the right thing to do. Neither you, nor your family and friends, deserve to lose you here. Two, because I want that old bastard killed! I sat up with Kay Daniels for three days as she slowly died. She had a two-year-old daughter who will never see her again. Billy Smithson cried for more than eighteen hours straight before he lapsed into a coma. Now I have a certain respect and understanding for a raider. I know where he or she is coming from. But this old man all of you have described is simply evil. Death means nothing to him. Only his...experiments, his goals, are important to him."

Robert leaned against the door jamb and sighed. "He is too dangerous to be allowed existence." He looked at the teen, who was shocked at the vehemence of his answer. "I _will_ go with you. My purpose is to eliminate that son of a bitch. That way, if I'm caught, you can avoid jail."

"Maybe we can notify the authorities about him when we get back," she said.

"What if he's working for them? I don't know about your world, Daria, but from what I've seen in life, many government officials see their citizens as mere numbers to use as needed."

"It's that way in my world, too," she said.

"I'll deal with him, then." He looked at the teen and smiled at her. "I also squeezed your hand to calm you down. Yes, if the dead break in here, it's serious - but it's not the end, either. We will survive." With that said, he turned to leave again. Then he stopped and looked at the girl. "Your hand is soft, warm and...nice. I'm not making a play for you. I merely just stated my opinion. I apologize again for making you feel uncomfortable." Then he left.


	10. Bug Out

**10. Bug Out**

Daria looked outside the dining room window at the zombies gathered at the front door and shivered. She counted at least seventeen and saw a couple of stragglers in the distance. "Robert, I have a question," she said.

The man walked in the room and asked, "Oh? What is it?"

She pointed out the window and said, "I remember what you said about the fuel going bad, but do you still have some gasoline or kerosene? I was thinking that with some fuel and some glass bottles and jars with some cloth strips, we could make several Molotov cocktails and fry some of these dead bastards."

Robert looked at her and smiled. He sighed and said, "On the northeast side of Fostoria, there was a Christian school. Do you know what kind I mean? It wasn't a parochial school, but one run by Fundamentalist Baptists, to keep their kids from being 'polluted' by the public school system."

"What's that got to do with my suggestion?" she asked, her expression confused.

"During the first stages of the zombie crisis, the church members, school students, staff and their families made that their emergency shelter. It was actually an excellent choice, because it had the latest in security. Thin windows on the first floor, easy to barricade and seal the doors. In fact, their doors were better than the ones here. They even had plenty of food and water. Compared to the rest of us, they had it made." He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead briefly. Then he looked at her sadly. "On the fifth day, a couple of their teens on the roof lobbed some Molotov cocktails at a bunch trying to break in their back door. They not only fried the zombies, they caught the building on fire."

Daria blinked. "Wasn't it brick?"

"Sure was. Excellent brickwork built over a wooden frame, along with their thick wooden doors. By that time, what was left of the fire department wouldn't go out. They couldn't go out. Everyone in that school building died, and died horribly. Towards the end, some of the dead walked right into the openings created by the fire and attacked the people still alive in there. Some of the zombies were walking torches, but it didn't stop them from attacking their victims." He closed his eyes. "In a few of my dreams, I see the fire again and hear their screams."

The teen shuddered. "Never mind."

He looked at her. "Three of us were there in a truck and all we could do was pick off extras with rifles. There were at least a hundred of those things there. We finally had to take off ourselves when a bunch of them tried to get us." He saw her expression and shrugged. "Don't feel bad about it, Daria. It happened. Nothing will change that. Millions - maybe even billions - of people died horribly in the last thirteen months."

"I just wanted to have a good idea," she said and shook her head. "Something that would help."

He moved up behind her and patted her right shoulder gently. "You thought it out. That's a step in the right direction."

"Where's the backup shelter at?" she asked and glanced at his hand. "Does it take us further away from the...'transport' site?"

Robert chuckled. "Actually, it's about four blocks away from it."

Daria knocked his hand off her shoulder, turned around quickly, and glared at him as she narrowed her eyes. "Why aren't we there right now then? Why make a trip across town when we could be right where we need to be in a minute by a run?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "Do you _really _want me to get home - or do you want to make sure I stay here with you? What kind of game are you playing with me?"

He looked startled by her sudden anger and held up his hands. "Daria, I am not playing a game with you, I promise. Like I said earlier, I want you to get home. As much as I enjoy having you here with me, I want to get you home. But the backup shelter is underground. Underground shelters can be extremely dangerous, especially if the zombies know you're in there. I always considered it a last resort shelter before I leave Fostoria for good."

"Is it a basement?" she asked. "Most basements I've seen aren't much to brag about."

"It's a bomb shelter," he replied. "Before the dead rose, my dad said that the man who owned it installed it during Reagan's first term. That was when some people were a bit terrified that either the Gipper or the Soviets would start a nuke war. The shelter has two rooms. One is a living space, complete with one bed, two chairs, a table and a stationary bicycle. The other room is for storage and a chemical toilet. The total area is almost the size of the room you've slept in."

"One bed?"

He nodded and sighed. "Considering your earlier fears about me, imagine what you would have thought if we went _there_ first. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it earlier. I really am. If things had worked out for the best, we'd need never worry about it - or even go there."

"I apologize for getting angry," Daria said and blushed. "I just want to go home." She sighed and shook her head. "I keep thinking that I could be trapped here, for the rest of my life."

"It is a possibility," he admitted. "I prefer to work on faith that you'll make it home, and soon."

"Would it bother you if I was...stuck here with you for the rest of my life?" she asked and looked away. "Would it really bother you, or would you be happy?"

Robert gently turned her around. "You're a smart girl, and I've enjoyed talking with you," he said. "In fact, I've said more in the last two days than I did in the last month. If that did happen, I would happy with you. You're young, you're very attractive and I think we would get along. But I would want _you_ to be happy, too. That means that more than anything, I want you to get home. Like I said, I have faith that you will make it home."

_You think I'm very attractive? _she thought and blushed. "You keep mentioning faith. Are you a Christian?"

Robert shook his head. "Maggie and the kids were. I went to church with them several times, but I...felt out of place." He sighed. "I wish I could go to church with them again. It makes me happy to think that they're in Heaven right now. Even if I don't believe in it myself." He shook his head. "When you get back home, there's something I want you to do - for me."

"Oh? What?"

"Take a self-defense course. A good one. Learn how to protect yourself. I taught Maggie all I could about protecting herself. She got pretty good at it, too."

Daria relaxed and leaned against the wall. "You could teach me, too, then."

Robert blushed and shook his head. "My wife wanted the training to be as realistic as possible. So when I first started training her, she'd usually end up at least half naked. By the end of her training, though, she stayed fully clothed. But for me, however, she had bloodied my nose, blackened my eyes, gave me several bruises and even gave me a swollen lip. Thank God I wore cushioning other places or she would have really hurt me. If we're still here tonight, I'll teach you some basic judo. But you'd be better off not learning my mistakes. Stick with a professional trainer."

**oooooooooo**

Stone looked at the back of the van from his position on the floor. "If you would untie me, this would be a lot easier," he said to Jane.

"If wishes were horses, Dr. Stone, rides would be free, too," Jane said. "Now, what do we do?"

The old man cleared his throat and blinked. "Change the fifth number to fourteen and the seventh number to two."

Trent watched as Jane changed the numbers as directed. "What does that do?" he asked.

"It's the setting for the return feature," Stone said. "Once you push the button, it should start the process to return your friend. Before you push it, however, looked at the power gauge in the upper left hand corner. What does it say?"

"Nothing," Jane said. "It's a gauge."

"Smart-ass," Stone whispered.

The girl leaned in close and stared at his face. "Care to repeat that little comment, 'Doctor'?"

"No!" he said quickly. "What does the gauge read, then?"

Jane looked at it carefully and said, "The thin red line is in the red."

"We need to charge it up before we use it then," the old man said. There is a plug-in near the power gauge. It's similar to the plug-ins you see for electric guitars."

"I see it," Trent said.

"Good," Stone said. "Get the cord hanging on the hook behind you. Plug one end in the box and the other end in the battery charger. Then start the van. That will charge up the device."

Trent hooked up the box as directed and started the van.

"We getting any attention from outside?" Jane asked her brother.

"Nope," he said. "Awfully busy here, though."

"It's Friday," she said. "Normally the big grocery shopping day."

"Oh."

**oooooooooo**

Daria looked in Robert's room and noticed how clean it was.

"Is there something you want?" he asked as he came from down the hall.

She looked at him and motioned towards his living space. "Your 'apartment' looks so clean," she said. "I didn't expect that."

He shrugged and said, "It makes me feel civilized."

An 8 x 10 family portrait hung on one wall and she moved closer to it. In it, Robert was pictured with a smiling brunette and three little children. His hair was darker and his face had no lines in it. In fact, he looked relaxed in the photo. "This is your family?" she asked.

"Yes," he said.

"Maggie was a beautiful woman," she said. _You think _I'm _very attractive? Your wife makes me look so...plain._

"That she was," he said. "I was a lucky man."

_She was a lucky woman_, Daria thought quickly and blushed. "I'm sorry if I'm intruding on your privacy."

"Nonsense," he said and opened a desk drawer. He pulled out a 5 x 7 of the same photo and handed it to her. "You can have this, so that when you get back, you'll at least have a picture of me."

"We could always take one of you after _we_ get to Lawndale," she pointed out, but took the photo. "Thank you."

Before he could respond, the sound of cracking wood could be heard and Daria quickly covered her mouth with one hand.

Buster rushed into the room and stood behind Robert's legs. He shivered and whined in terror.

"O.K., bug out time is here," he said and turned to Daria. "Get your gear together and put on your chain mail. We leave as quickly as we can. If you need to pee, do it now."

"What about lunch?" she asked. "It's still in the solar cookers."

He grabbed the infant carrier and put it on. Then he grabbed the dog and put him in it. "Stay!" he ordered the frightened animal. "If we have time, I'll deal with it. If not, it won't matter anyway. Now go!"

Daria rushed to her room as Robert ran to the stairway. He closed the door at the top of the stairs and immediately knocked over two filing cabinets in front of it.

The loud noise caused the girl to look outside the door, her eyes wide open. "Sorry," he said. "This will buy us several minutes." He ran to the kitchen. "Go back to what you were doing."

Daria moved back into her room and he rushed to his room.

**oooooooooo**

Within ten minutes, there was loud thumps on the door at the top of the stairs. Robert and Daria met in the hallway and he asked, "Ready?"

She stood there in her chain mail, her weapons on her and her book bag snug on her back, while he was dressed like he was the previous two days, except for a large backpack on his shoulders. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be," she said. Her voice betrayed her fear.

He smiled at her. "Stay calm, Daria. They won't get us. Let's scoot."

"Why don't we fight them off?" she asked and shivered.

"A gunfight is a last resort," he said, "because once you start shooting, others always investigate the noise. Besides, if you can get back and for some reason, I can't go with you, I'll be able to come back here in a few weeks - or next winter - and salvage my stuff. Having no rotting bodies in the building will make it easier."

He led her up the stairs to the roof and shut the door. When they got to the ledge, he looked at her. "If...I don't make it, do you think you can get to the house where we waited?"

Daria paled. "What are you trying to say? Are you going to abandon me?"

"No. But if we get overwhelmed, I'll try to draw them off and you run like hell! You will abandon _me_."

She grabbed his arm and shook her head. "We stay together - to the end, if need be. You saved my life, and I'll be damned if I desert you." She gave him a brief smile. "Besides, you'll have to be there to help me explain where I've been to my parents - cause I don't think they'll believe it when I tell them."

Robert smiled and nodded. "It's a deal, Daria." He held out his right hand. She did the same and he gripped her wrist tightly. She got the hint and gripped his wrist as well. "Together we stay - come hell, high water or zombies."

They smiled at each other and she nodded as well.

"Now, let's get going," he said. "I'd like to see what Lawndale's like."

She looked at him, then looked away and shook her head. "You're in for a disappointment," she said. "It sucks - but I can't wait to get back there, either." She shrugged. "I guess it really doesn't suck, after all." _There's no place like home._

**oooooooooo**

Several blocks away from Robert's shelter, they stopped outside the same bar they rested at the day before. Quietly, they each drank a bottle of water and looked around. "So far, so good," he whispered. "Let's go!"

They moved on and as they turned one corner, a child zombie directly in front of them suddenly lunged at Daria. She stifled her scream, but pulled back and grabbed for her pistol.

"Don't shoot!" Robert quickly kicked the dead child back. It fell backwards over a curb and landed on it's back. Then it sat back up and moved to come back at them. Without a word, the man drew his crowbar back and swung it like a golf club.

Daria winced as the head swung at an unnatural angle; the loud crunch of crushed neck bones caused her to shudder. The body laid on the side of the street and repeatedly twitched as they moved on.

As they walked on, she especially felt the weight she carried on her back and shoulders. _I want to go home, _she thought as she scanned the area. _I'm normally not one to pray, but if you're there, God, then please let me go home._

A loud moan sounded behind them and they quickly turned around. At least a dozen zombies moved out of what had once been a car dealership and headed their way. Robert looked at Daria and said, "I'm sorry, Daria, but now it's time for you to ride."

She closed her eyes as he quickly hefted her on his left shoulder, gripped the back of her left thigh and ran. _I'm glad I didn't eat lunch_! she thought.

**oooooooooo**

They reached the white, two-story house without incident and Robert carefully set Daria on her feet. She wobbled slightly and he panted from the exertion. "Shall we go on the porch?" she asked as she steadied herself.

"Yeah," he said and checked his watch. "It's one-fifty. We'll rest and eat a light snack while we wait."

Quietly, they walked up to the house and onto the porch. Once again, Robert looked inside the house windows and listened, but noticed nothing moving...or dangerous.

Daria once again sat on the love seat and wiped sweat off of her forehead. She opened another bottle of water and ate a chocolate chip granola bar.

**oooooooooo**

The sound of thunder reached them at about three-thirty and Daria perked up. "Is this it?" she asked, her voice excited.

Robert frowned and looked around. "That isn't the right sound. I think we have a storm coming up."

A wave of disappointment ran through her and she briefly bit her lower lip. "Do they...walk around in the rain?"

He nodded and sipped some water. "They walk around in the snow, too. At least until the weather turns cold enough to freeze them solid." A smirk appeared on his face and he looked outside. "I destroyed quite a few of them last winter. Damned shame I couldn't get them all."

The skies darkened slightly and a lightning bolt streaked across the sky, followed by a rumble of thunder. Robert stared outside and watched one zombie move through the backyard of a house on a nearby street. "One nice thing about this is that the sound of thunder sends them off to where they think are a bunch of people."

She looked confused. "What do you mean?" she asked. "I don't understand."

He looked at her. "Let's say the lightning strikes the ground, for example, halfway between Fostoria and Findlay." He shook his head. "Somehow they can detect the direction of the lightning strike - and head that way. Then after the storm passes and there's nothing there, they'll return back to town over the next few days." After he said that, his mouth dropped open and he sighed. "If the bolt does strike here, we'll need to leave quickly - if we aren't electrocuted, that is."

Rain started to fall in little spatters and then by four, it was a downpour. Daria and Robert waited on the porch, while Buster whined and wriggled inside the man's chain mail.

The storm diminished by five o'clock and Robert looked at Daria, who sat still and looked at the floor. "Let's go, Daria. Tomorrow, we won't have to leave so early to get here."

She looked up at him and tears ran down her face. "I want to go home, Robert," she said and suppressed a sob. "I think about my family and what they must be thinking and...and..." She took a couple of deep breaths and cleared her throat.

He reached out and touched her shoulder and she watched him through tear-blurred eyes. "Wait until we reach the bomb shelter. When we're locked up and secure, then you can cry and let the disappointment out." He then stroked the side of her face. "You _will_ get home, Daria. Just be patient and have some faith."

"You're just trying to make me feel good." _Your touch is so gentle. Part of me wants to cry on your shoulder. Just a part of me. _The thought of Robert embracing her entered her mind; she blushed and looked down for several seconds. Then she looked back up and gave him a weak smile as she wiped her eyes. "Thank you."

He took her left hand and slowly pulled her to her feet. "Let's go."

They left the porch, stopped and listened for several seconds. Then Robert led Daria in the opposite direction than they came from.


	11. The Bomb Shelter

**11. The Bomb Shelter**

Nearly five minutes later, Robert took Daria into a fenced in property and carefully shut the gate. He looked around the grounds and motioned for her to be quiet and follow him down a sidewalk that went through the lawn.

They walked quietly through the yard; both scanned the area as they moved and the dog whined nervously inside the man's chain mail. To her confusion, as they passed six solar-powered lawn lights, Robert pulled them out of the ground and handed them to her.

The walk ended at a small tool shed. The man pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked a Master lock that secured the shed. Then he opened the door and whispered, "Inside - quickly!"

Daria went inside and he followed her. He quietly shut the door and the lights slowly lit up. She listened as he locked the door from the inside and turned to her.

"Dad said that old man Feeney thought that nobody would remember his shelter." He laughed quietly and shook his head. "Everybody knew all about it. But we never talked about it."

"How come he didn't use it when the zombies rose up?" she asked as he moved around her.

Robert moved a white cabinet aside and opened a hidden door. "He died in 1993 of a heart attack. The new owner, who died on the first or second day of the crisis, used it for storage. It took me two weeks in January to clean it out for my possible use." He motioned for her to go in and went in behind her. She went inside and climbed down a wooden stairway to what seem to be a deep basement. He shut the door and followed her down to a second door.

Quietly, he opened it and they walked inside. She stopped just inside the darkened room as he shut the door behind them. Buster's whine was now very loud and he howled from inside the chain mail.

Daria felt a slight bit of claustrophobia as Robert then sealed the door. She then looked around the bomb shelter. True to her companion's words, there was one bed, one table with two chairs and one stationary bicycle. "What do I do with the lights?" she asked.

He came around her left side and took the lights from her. He set them each in a small frame and the light given was comparable to that provided by a thirty-watt bulb. "Not much, I know, but it's close to bedtime for me, anyway. We'll eat dinner, then rest. You should try to sleep when I do anyway."

"I'm not used to that," she pointed out.

"I know, Daria, I know. You should try to, anyway." He removed the dog from inside the chain mail and set him down on the floor. The animal looked around fearfully and cowered on the floor near the bed.

They removed their jackets and chain mail and hung their weapons in a gun cabinet set along one wall. He had her sit down while he situated their belongings.

Daria picked up Buster and held the shaking beagle in her arms. "You know, Robert, I didn't think of this until now, but if you're going with me and Buster, maybe you should bring some money with you." She shifted slightly in her chair. "So you can, you know, at least have a start until you can get a job."

He placed his backpack in the bottom of the gun cabinet and did the same with her book bag. Then he shrugged as he replied, "Well, I still have my wallet, with about two thousand dollars in it. I put it in there for laughs, then forgot it. After all, anymore, it's worth about as much here as play money."

Daria glanced at him, petted the dog and said, "You still have your wallet? Why?"

"Simple," he said. "I'm used to it. I've carried one since I was nine and I feel...naked without it." He pulled it out and tossed it on the table in front of her. "Go ahead and count out what I have, while I get us some dinner."

Robert went into the other room and Daria pulled the greenbacks out of the billfold and spread them out on the table. Buster jumped onto the floor and laid at her feet.

She stared at the bills for several seconds, then closed her eyes and lifted her glasses. For the next several seconds, she rubbed the bridge of her nose and her eyes and shook her head.

"Is there a problem?" he asked as he came back towards her.

She looked up at him and said, "This might as well be play money, because it isn't worth anything...in my world." She motioned to the bills. "In my world, Ben Franklin is not on the twenty, John Kennedy is not on the fifty and Theodore Roosevelt is not on the hundred." She laughed bitterly, gathered the bills back together and placed them back in his wallet. "Did you, by chance, ever look inside the wallets and purses of the other Lawndale people?"

"Sure, to check identification."

"But not the money?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No reason to. It has no value here now, except as maybe a high-grade fire starter or toilet paper."

Daria looked up at him over the tops of her glasses. "I remember what you said about taking back the stuff that belonged to the others," she said. "But I figured that if you did come with us, then you'd need money. I took the money they had for you, and now you have one-hundred and thirty-eight dollars. It's not much, Robert, but it's a start."

He sat down opposite her and handed her a MRE. "Thank you, Daria." Then he laughed and shook his head as he opened his dinner. "How about that one?" he asked. "My idea that our worlds have some differences was right." His smile disappeared and he looked down. "Sometimes, being right really sucks."

She opened her dinner and they ate in silence.

**oooooooooo**

After they ate, Daria looked in the other room and saw the chemical toilet set up out in the open. "I need to go," she said and pointed at it, "and that doesn't even try for privacy. Were you planning on watching me or something?"

Robert gave her a weak smile and said, "When I set this place up as a backup shelter, I never expected anyone to be with me. Lauren and Janelle had already left and I was alone. I hadn't even encountered any living Lawndale people yet. I'll tell you what, Daria. I'll lay face down on the bed and you can cover my head with the blankets while you go. I don't want to see that, and I'm not comfortable with you seeing me like that, either."

She blushed. "No," she said and looked away from his face. "I'll trust you to look away."

"Then, I'll trust you, too, Daria." He turned around and faced the wall. "I'm sorry."

Her blush deepened as she got up and walked to the toilet. She said nothing in response.

When she returned and he went in there, she faced the wall, closed her eyes and used her fingers to plug her ears.

**oooooooooo**

As the transport device was being charged up, the sound of voices outside the panel van could be heard.

Stone yelled out quickly, "HELP ME! CALL THE--"

Jane suddenly jumped onto the man and rammed the gag into his mouth and listened carefully.

Trent looked at them and then someone appeared at the driver's window.

"Hey," a tall man said. "You O.K. in there?"

Trent turned, rolled the window down slightly and said, "Sorry, man. It's my girlfriend. She, like, bit my toe and it hurts when she does that."

"Well, quit putting it near my mouth!" Jane yelled out as she held the struggling old man down. "You know that I like to bite!"

The man held up his hands. "Sorry to interrupt, dude. You two should get a room, you know."

Trent nodded. "You're right, man. Sorry you had to hear it." He rolled up the window and got behind the wheel. He put the van in drive and drove off.

From the back, Jane backhanded the doctor and said, "You son of a bitch! I ought to cut your nuts off!" Then to Trent, she said, "Your _girlfriend_? Ugh. I bit your _toe_? Double ugh!"

"Hey, sorry, Janey, it's all I could think of right then."

"Remind me to never come around you when your shoes are off," she muttered. "Where are you going?"

"I'll park near Cranberry Commons. Then we'll see about how well charged this thing of his is."

**oooooooooo**

"O.K.," Robert said. "I know this part is going through your mind, so here's my idea on sleeping arrangements. Tonight, you sleep on the bed and I'll sleep on a chair. Tomorrow, if we're still here, _I'll_ get the bed and you sleep in the chair."

Buster laid down on the bed and looked from one to the other. Robert had given him some Meclizine in his dinner and it hadn't kicked in yet.

Daria blinked, looked down and said, "You...you can take the bed tonight."

"Would you at least look at me when you talk to me?" he asked. She did so and he smiled at her. "No. I insist that you take the bed tonight."

"O.K." She gave him a weak smile. "Thank you."

"Tomorrow, we'll try to get you home again. Hopefully, it'll happen this time. I know we're cramped in here alone, but don't be afraid of me, Daria. Please, don't be afraid of me again."

"I'm not afraid! I'm embarrassed! I'm a very private person and at the other shelter, you at least gave me my own space. Here, I have nothing." She crossed her arms over her chest and seemed to scrunch up. "This is more intimacy than I'm comfortable with."

"I'm sorry about that, Daria. I really am. Tomorrow, I'll work on trying to give you a private space. But for now, I just want to sleep."

"I'm sorry, Robert."

"I understand," he said as he stood up and retrieved several blankets from a cabinet. He handed two to Daria and took one for himself. Then he sat down on the chair and spread the blanket over himself. "Good night, Daria."

"What about night clothes?" she asked.

"Your bag is in the gun cabinet," he said. "If you want to change, I'll cover my head up until you're done."

She retrieved her bag and turned to look at Robert, who sat there with the blanket over his head. She rolled her eyes and searched the inside of the bag.

**oooooooooo**

Sometime during the night, Daria threw the covers off of herself and sat up in the bed. She grabbed her glasses, rubbed her eyes and put them on. The solar-powered lights had dimmed somewhat, but in the corner of the room, Robert sat up, his mouth opened and his eyes closed. His blanket rested on the floor. The T-shirt he wore emphasized the muscle definition in his arms and his broad shoulders. The thought of peeling the shirt off of him came to her mind and she smiled.

_So you think I'm_ very _attractive, huh? Time to give _you _a little surprise._ She stood up, stretched and pulled off her own nightshirt. She glanced down at her bra and shorts in the semi-darkness. _Wait. Take them off - later. Let him anticipate it._

She moved over to Robert and looked him over slowly. _You look _really _delicious tonight. Where should I start_? Her gaze started with his face and moved to his neck, his chest, his midsection, then settled on his left hand.

Daria smiled as she knelt near his hand; she gently grasped it to avoid startling him. Then she kissed each knuckle, her gaze on his face as she did so.

Then she lightly pulled his index finger away from the others. She licked her lips and took his finger in her mouth.

Robert stirred then, looked at her and smiled. His smile widened as she gripped his wrist and left thigh firmly in her hands and closed her eyes.

Then Daria bit into him; her teeth tore through his skin and tissue, then snapped the finger bone apart. Her hands clamped onto him as he started to fight. She tore the digit away from his hand and chewed on it. As his screams filled the shelter, a small rivulet of blood ran down her chin.

**oooooooooo**

Daria sat up quickly in the bed, her eyes and mouth wide open. As she calmed herself down, she shook and felt her chin nervously. When she felt wetness, she pulled her hand up and saw only the glisten of saliva in the faded light. _How typical. Not only do I have nightmares, I drool, too._

She looked to her right and saw Robert asleep in his chair. His blanket was up to his neck and the only parts of him that were uncovered were his feet. Quietly, she laid back down and pulled the covers up to her head.

Buster moved up to her side and worked his way under the covers. He moved up against her and settled down; she absently petted him as she closed her eyes.

_I want to go home._


	12. Robert's Diary

**12. Robert's Diary**

Some time later, Daria opened her eyes and took a deep breath. She heard Robert snore lightly from the chair and glanced over at him. The covers were still pretty much in place, but his arms were out and free. In fact, his left arm hung down towards the floor. She smiled at the thought of Buster moving over and licking his hand, then squinted as she tried to read the glow-in-the-dark clock he had hung up on the wall.

With a muttered curse on her lips, Daria found her glasses and put them on, then squinted at the clock again. _Three-fifty. I slept, but not the way I like. _She glanced at Robert. _Told you that it was too early to sleep._

She saw something on the floor near his left hand and realized that it was a book. Quietly, she got out of bed, picked up the book and moved near to one of the still-glowing lawn lamps.

When she opened the book, she saw the pages covered in a man's cursive writing and quickly closed it. _Oh, crap. This is his diary. _She stood still for more than a minute, then opened the book up again.

'_Lauren missed her second period and she's jumping for joy. Janelle even kissed me (I'm not her type, as she has said repeatedly). I'm glad it's over, cause the continual stress was really getting to me. I wish Maggie hadn't made that promise at the Christmas party two years ago. Who knew that they'd even remember it? Who knew that they'd call Maggie's promise in? Oh, well, what's done is done. They want a girl and I hope they get a girl._

'_Janelle said that they'll start their on their journey to Montana at the end of July. I'm not so sure, because even the northern plains states get hot during the dog days. But they're both smart and good with guns. If anyone can make this trip, it's those two._

Daria blinked and her mouth dropped open. _He got this Lauren woman pregnant? He didn't tell me_ that. _What kind of promise did Maggie make to them? _She flipped ahead some and read on.

'_Once again, a mention of something I really miss. Red velvet cake. When I was quarantined during that TB scare five years ago, Maggie bought me a red velvet cake and it was so delicious. Even now, I can still taste it. She really knew how to lift my spirits when I was down. I miss her so much.'_

"I hope I get someone who loves me as much as you love Maggie," she whispered and read on.

'_Buster hasn't whined in nearly a week now and he's looking healthy again. Today I played with him, and he jumped and barked at me. But the real clincher is that he laid beside me as I slept. He knows I'm normal (well, as normal as I'll ever be, that is) and I think he was more scared and lonely than anything else. It's a wonder that the dead didn't get him._

'_One thing confuses me, however. I've gone over several road maps and one atlas after another and I still cannot find Lawndale, Maryland on any map. When I can get a chance, I'll go to the library and check the maps in the reference section.'_

Daria flipped ahead several pages and read on.

'_Found another one. A fresh zombie on the east side of town after that weird noise and thunder. After I eliminated him, I checked his wallet and found out that he was also from Lawndale. That makes three men, one woman and one dog from there. What in the hell is going on here? I have a lot of questions and no answers that make any sense._

She turned ahead to another page and stopped in shock as she blushed. A pen sketch of nude brunette graced the page. The woman leaned in a doorway and the only thing she had on was a cowboy hat, cocked back on her head. Beneath the sketch was written: '_Margaret Jane "Maggie" Nelson. I miss you, baby. I'll be with you soon.'_

Quickly, Daria turned to another page. _Not as good as Jane, _she thought, _but he's still good. And I was right about the suicide possibility._

'_Here is my latest guess, based on what K. has told me. This bastard is testing some kind of transporter device and using anybody he can find as unwilling guinea pigs. I'd like to personally feed that asshole to some zombies._

'_K. told me all about her daughter and her ballet lessons - and how much of a jerk her ex-husband was. She also said that she can't wait until she sees her daughter again. I haven't told her that she's dead already, and I'm not going to. I don't have the heart to tell her, and there's no point in it anyway.'_

Daria shook her head and turned to another page.

'_B. died tonight at 10:23. When he went into a coma, Buster freaked out and hid. I quickly took B. to the roof and waited until the end. Fifteen minutes later, he revived and tried to get me. I put him down for good. I'll put him in his final resting place when I can get the chance._

'_I thought I could handle it O.K. I did when K. died. But with B., it was like seeing Scotty die all over again. I don't understand what this old man is doing, but if I can be there when he sends the next one over, then he or she won't be bit. Why is he doing it?_

'_I kind of hope it's a woman next time. I'm very lonely anymore, even with Buster's company._'

Daria glared at the sleeping man. "You got your wish," she muttered. "But you won't enjoy it." She turned to another page and read on.

'_Daria is afraid of me. I can see it in her eyes and the way she moves when I'm near her. I'm not going to hurt her, but I don't know how I can convince her of it. I now feel guilty that I wished for a woman. It's like it's my fault that she's here. She told me about her family and how she wants to go back home to them._

'_I told her an idea about how she might get back. Ever since B. came over and died, I've thought things over. If this scientist or whatever the hell he is can send people over, what if he can bring things from this world to his? What if he gets a zombie or a whole bunch of them? The thought scares me. But I told Daria that if we're there right when he sends the next victim over, then maybe she can return. I also told her that she needed to kill that son of a bitch. I hope that idea works. Maybe she can stop this stuff from ever happening again._

'_However, I have to be honest with myself. I just said that to make her (and myself) feel good. I really don't think it will work. It could, but I doubt it. The thing is that...transporting or whatever he's doing should be impossible, but it isn't. My idea about getting her back may be dead on. I hope that I'm right. My knowledge of scientific things is bad.'_

_O.K., you're forgiven, _Daria thought. On the next page, she read on.

'_Daria blurted out that she was afraid I wanted to rape her. I must come across like some monster. I'm trying to be nice and decent, I really am. Maybe, I've stared a little too much. She's really pretty and I like looking at her. She also smells good and her skin's soft. That makes me realize, though, that the times I touched her scared her even more. Regardless, I need to find a still working Polaroid and maybe she'll let me take a picture of her._

'_I wish she was a little older. Or else that I was just a little younger. _

'_I know that I could rape her anytime I wanted, and she couldn't stop me, but I will never do it. Mainly because I'm afraid that I'd lose my dreams about Maggie. She would be very disappointed in me if I did that. Also, raping Daria would not only destroy any normal relationship we could ever have, but I'd be afraid of her later revenge. I really don't want to wake up without important body parts._

'_Besides, the second she'd start crying would end it all, cause I'd end up crying, too. I guess I'm a softie at heart._

'_I need to find out why she wanted to know about MTV._'

"Whoa," she muttered and turned to the next page.

There was another sketch, this time of Daria. She had on the long-sleeved sweater and long skirt, but held a pistol in her right hand and had Buster in her left arm. Beneath it was written '_Daria Morgendorffer and Buster. I hope that I'm right and they make it back to their homes.'_

She sighed and shook her head. _They are _not _that big. Typical male._ She flipped ahead to the last page and read on.

'_I dreamed about Maggie...and Daria. They were sitting at a table in the diner, drinking coffee. They were laughing and talking. I came in and they looked at me, then at each other. Then they laughed again. I wonder what I did. I sat down and they never really talked to me. They talked about me, however. Maggie said that I might be scary looking, but I was as gentle as a mouse. I protested and she asked me, "Are you a man or a mouse? Go on, squeak up." That made Daria laugh again.'_

Daria closed the diary. _Interesting dream_, she thought and laid the book gently on the floor. Then she laid down and pulled the covers up to her neck.

**oooooooooo**

"The needle is almost to the green," Trent said.

Stone looked at him and Jane and smiled. "You two haven't agreed to _my _terms yet," he said.

"Oh?" Jane asked, her eyebrows raised.

"I help you get your friend back and you free me, plus let me have all my stuff. We'll be even then." He cleared his throat. "You have to agree to it, or I won't tell you what to do next."

Jane started to jump onto him, but Trent held her back. "We agree, man, but Daria better come back - unharmed and alive."

"Help me to sit up," he said. "I want to be able to watch what happens here, so I can properly put it in my notes later on."

They helped Stone lean back on the wall of the van and waited.

"When the red line's fully in the green, disconnect the battery charger, aim the box at the blank spot on the van floor and push the power button."

"That's it?" Jane asked.

"What?" Stone asked. "You expected to jump through hoops or something? This isn't a Rube Goldberg contraption, girly."

Trent kept an eye on Jane, but she controlled her temper.

**oooooooooo**

During breakfast, Daria ate in silence and Robert got the hint from her body language that she didn't want to talk. He finished his meal as quickly as he could, then briefed her in on the day's activities.

"For right now, I want you to stay here, Daria," he said. "I'm going to retrieve some supplies out of the tool shed and build a shield for the toilet."

She swallowed a bite of her granola bar and asked, "What do I do then? It's going to be boring as hell down here real quick."

"The more times we leave this shelter, the more undead attention we'll get." He smiled at her. "I've got the vent open enough so that we can hear the whine and the thunder when it happens again. You see now, the nice thing about the shelter is that we don't have to wait on that porch. We'll hear the noise, get our stuff and leave." He moved to the door. "You can ride the stationary bike, or read a book. I'll try to find us a lantern up there as well. I really want to avoid using candles."

He then left the shelter and Buster whined next to Daria. She pulled him up to her lap and rubbed the back of his head gently. "He'll be back," she said. "Don't worry, he'll be back."

**oooooooooo**

He finished the work within an hour. The partition consisted of a wooden frame braced in by several cardboard boxes and covered with a white bed sheet. He looked at Daria, performed a mock-formal bow and said, "Here you go, ma'am. What do you think?"

_Not much, _she thought, but said, "Thank you, Robert."

"I know it's not much to brag about, but it at least gives you a little privacy."

She smiled at him and looked over both sides. "You didn't have to do all this, but I do appreciate it."

"I just want you to be comfortable around me," he said, "and not embarrassed to death."

Daria's response to that was to blush and Robert looked away, a smile on his face.

**oooooooooo**

"The needle is fully in the green," Trent said.

"Finally," Jane muttered and she looked at Stone. "So, do I push the button now?"

He nodded. "Push it and hold it in. I'll tell you when to release it."

_Daria, I hope you're O.K. and make it back. Here goes. _She pushed the button hard and held it in.

**oooooooooo**

In Fostoria, Ohio, the sound of thunder filled the air, accompanied by a high-pitch electronic whine.

In the neighborhood above the fallout shelter, several confused zombies looked up in the sky as it turned gray.


	13. Battle In The Streets

**13. Battle In The Streets**

The sound of the thunder and the whine reached the inside of the shelter as Robert cleaned up the mess from building the partition and he froze, his face pale.

Daria, who sat on the bed playing with Buster, turned to her companion and saw his reaction. "This is it, isn't it?" she asked.

He looked at the clock and blinked. "It isn't even noon yet!" he said and dropped some trash at his feet. "Come on! We've got to get our stuff and go!" He rushed to the gun cabinet and jerked out the items they needed.

"I was going to use the bathroom!" she protested.

"No time for that!" he said as he laid her chain mail on the bed. "We've got to move now!"

She grabbed the infant carrier and put it on. When Buster saw what she did, he tried to jump off the bed and run, but she caught him.

"I can wear that," Robert said. "You don't need to."

"No, I can do it," she said and placed the dog inside the carrier. He squirmed and tried to climb back out.

"Buster!" he said and moved beside Daria. "Stay!"

The dog whined, but obeyed Robert.

The whine slowly grew louder as the two put on their chain mail and coats. Robert put the backpack on and handed Daria her book bag. He slung an small olive green bag on his left shoulder and tightened it's strap. Then they each grabbed their weapons and looked at one another. He gave her a nervous smile and said, "Let's get you two home."

"Let's get _all_ of us home," she countered and they opened the shelter door.

**oooooooooo**

Two minutes passed and Jane turned to Stone. "What the hell's taking so long?" she asked. "Shouldn't she be here by now?"

"It took me ten minutes to bring back a chair!" the old man told her. "Keep the button pushed in and just be patient!"

The girl turned to Trent and shivered.

"Stay calm, Janey," her brother said. "I've got a good feeling about this."

_I wish I shared your optimism_, she thought.

**oooooooooo**

When Daria stepped out, Robert shut the shelter door and sealed it. Then he led the way up the stairs. From inside the teen's chain mail, the dog whined softly.

At the top of the stairs, she checked to make sure that she had everything, then looked around the tool shed as he unlocked the outside door. She saw a dark bronze-colored bust of Julius Caesar on one shelf and frowned at it. "Caesar?" she asked him. "Where did that come from?"

"It was here the first time I checked out the shelter," he said and pocketed his keys. "It reminds me of a Charlton Heston movie I saw years ago."

"_The Omega Man_?" she asked.

"Yup." He took a deep breath and grabbed the door handle. "Pity about him dying at the end of the movie, though."

"Robert."

"What?" he asked, released the door and checked the bag on his shoulder.

"Heston's character in the movie was also named Robert." The look on her face reflected her worry. Suddenly she could hear carnival-like music in her mind, something from her memories.

The man smiled at her and patted her upper right arm. "Don't worry about it," he said. "Stay calm and we'll be O.K."

"What's in the bag on your shoulder?" She remembered where she had heard the music before. _It's from the movie - towards the end - when Heston's fighting the Family in the streets._

"Extras," he said. "A little surprise for our dead friends, _if _we need them. Found them at the armory." He pulled one automatic pistol from its holster and held it ready.

Daria held one revolver in her hands and waited. The music continued and she winced. _No more! No more!_

"Let's go," he said and opened the door. A zombie in the yard several feet away turned towards them. "Shit!" He lifted the pistol and shot it twice in the head. As it fell, the loudness of the whine assaulted their ears.

The whine didn't stop the music in Daria's mind, however. She looked around and saw multiple zombies in the yard and the two adjoining properties. "Oh, no," she said, her voice a whine itself. "Oh, hell, no!"

Inside the chain mail, Buster groaned and struggled.

"Ignore them!" Robert yelled. "Let's go!"

They rushed to the gate as the dead converged on them. Robert shot two zombies on the outside of the gate while Daria turned and shot a zombie just a few feet behind them.

Now, Buster howled in terror and the electronic whine got even louder.

They ran down the sidewalk towards the white house. But as they turned one corner, Robert's foot missed the sidewalk and fell several inches off the side. He lost his balance, the foot twisted in the process and he landed on his left side with a loud cry of pain.

"Robert!" Daria cried out as she moved to him and bent down.

A large group of zombies on the opposite corner moved around an abandoned compact car towards them.

He quickly reached into the bag and pulled out a grenade. The girl watched in shock as he pulled the pin; the spoon released and he tossed it at the car.

Daria plugged her ears as the grenade landed under the car and exploded. The music still played in her mind. The dog yelped loudly and clawed at her chest.

There was still fuel in the car and it was flammable. The fireball that resulted from the explosion lifted the car and caused it to land on its passenger side. Two zombies on that side were pinned to the ground, while the concussive force of the fireball knocked down the other dead and set them ablaze. Most of them got to their feet and moved on towards them as walking torches. One of them veered off on a right oblique as the flames engulfed its head.

"Come on!" she said and pulled on his right arm. "Get up!"

"No! Get to the light, Daria! I'll catch up! Run!"

"Robert?" The music slowed down in her mind then.

He winced from the pain in his ankle, lifted the pistol and shot two different zombies that had followed them.

Daria looked at him as he quickly reloaded and shot one zombie after another. She also turned and shot three zombies herself. The music stopped and she looked back at him. "Robert?"

"Please, Daria, hurry! It may not happen again!." He adjusted his position and shot a zombie behind her. "Run!"

A tear escaped her right eye, she groaned in frustration and turned around. She looked at Robert once more, then ran on ahead. As she ran, she shot a zombie that tried to intercept her and stepped around its body as it fell.

She saw the bright light on the sidewalk in front of the white house and raced for it. As she passed another zombie, she shot it and ran on.

Buster suddenly pawed his way out of the infant carrier, hopped to the ground and ran into a yard.

"Buster! No!" Daria chased the dog as he rushed towards some shrubbery.

One female zombie dove at the dog, but she kicked the dead woman aside and then shot its head twice. The body twitched as she jumped over it and dove at the dog herself.

The beagle yelped in panic as Daria caught him; he fought as she held him tightly to her chest. She got to her feet and yelled, "Not now! Calm down!"

She heard a groan behind her, turned and lifted her pistol. The click of an empty chamber caused her to turn and run back towards the light.

When she reached the light, she said, "Sorry about this," and threw the dog into the brightness.

**oooooooooo**

"What the hell was that?" Jane asked. "It sounded like someone shot a dog!"

"I don't know, Janey," Trent said, "but I heard it, too."

Suddenly, a beagle appeared in the van and landed on the floor at Stone's feet. The animal barked, backed up slightly and growled at the three, its hackles raised up.

"Whoa." Trent knelt down and held out his hands. "Come on, boy. It's O.K. It's O.K. We won't hurt you."

The dog kept his distance briefly, then moved slowly and sniffed the musician's hands.

"Where did it come from?" Jane asked.

"I recognize that dog!" Stone said quickly. "I tested the device on him six weeks ago."

Trent gently hooked his fingers in the dog's collar and pulled him closer. He rubbed the animal's back as he read the ID tag. "'My name is Buster. If you find me, return me to Anthony DeMartino at--'"

"You teleported someone's pet?" Jane yelled at the old man "How many pets did you use as guinea pigs?"

The girl's anger caused the man to flinch and back away from her. "Remember your promise! I get your friend back and you'll let me leave with my stuff!"

"Daria's not back, you asshole!" she said. "We've only got a dog."

"Someone had to send the dog!" Stone said. "Just wait and keep the button pushed in!"

**oooooooooo**

Robert got to his feet and limped ahead several yards as more and more zombies converged on him. He fired his weapons again and again as he moved, but finally clicked on empty chambers. The dead were too close to toss grenades at and he fell to his knees. He closed his eyes, sobbed and said, "I'm coming, Maggie. I'll be with you and the kids soon."

He tensed as he felt movement behind him. Then a voice said, "Get on your feet, dammit!"

He turned and looked at Daria through tear-blurred eyes. "Daria?" he asked.

She shot three of the closest zombies, then jerked on her friend's right arm. "Get up!"

He obeyed her and she led and pulled him towards the light. "What did we agree to yesterday?" she snapped at him. "We were supposed to stick together - come hell, high water _or_ zombies."

"I'm sorry," he said. "Where's Buster?"

"He made it into the light," she said and still pulled him. "Now, it's our turn."

The zombie crowd was now within fifteen feet and closing in on them as they half ran and half walked. Robert gripped her shoulder tighter and said, "If we don't make it, Daria, I--"

"I know," she interrupted him. "Shut up." She turned, shot two of the closest zombies and they stepped into the light.

**oooooooooo**

"Daria!" Jane's voice reflected her joy as she released the button and laid the box on the floorboard. The white light vanished, but she, Trent and Dr. Stone gawked at the pair who suddenly appeared before them. Daria and somebody the siblings didn't know stood before them, clad in coats and chain mail, and armed to the teeth. "Daria?" she asked. "What happened?"

"Jane!" Daria released Robert, who then leaned against the side of the van as the auburn-haired teen quickly embraced her friend in a tight hug.

Jane's face showed her shock at the sudden hug, but she returned it anyway.

"We made it!" Daria said and squeezed Jane in her arms. "We made it!" Then she released her friend, turned to Trent and hugged him as well.

"Whoa!" the young man said.

"It worked," Robert said and looked around the van, amazed. "It really worked. It really worked."

Daria then grabbed her companion and protector and embraced him as well. He looked at the girl and blinked.

Buster rushed up to his legs and barked up at him. His tail wagged as he barked.

Then Robert's gaze fell on Dr. Stone and he glared at the old man. "You lousy son of a bitch!" he said and yanked the shotgun from behind his back. He cocked it and spat at him. "Do you realize just how many people you've killed? How many families you've disrupted and destroyed?"

"NO!" Stone cried out and looked up at Jane quickly. "We had a deal! I did my part! Now you live up to your part!"

"Robert, wait!" Daria said, her right hand up in front of him. She looked at Jane. "What does he mean by a deal?"

Jane looked at the box, then back at her friend. "We promised him he could leave - with all his stuff - if he got you back safe and sound."

"And I did it, too! You promised!"

Daria looked at Stone, her eyes narrowed; she also looked at Robert, then back at Jane. "I have a better idea, Jane."

"Oh?"

Daria motioned at the box. "You know how to operate that device?"

Jane looked at her suspiciously and said, "Uh, yeah. Why?"

"Send him to where he sent me."

"NO!" Stone yelled out and struggled to free himself. "We had a deal!"

Daria narrowed her eyes as she looked at the man. "You made a deal with _her_," she said and motioned towards her best friend, "not with me."

Jane looked at Trent and said, "Bro, you and...um..." She motioned at Robert.

"Robert," he said.

"You and Robert put Stone in the open." She bent down, forced the gag in the old man's mouth, then smirked at him. "It's time for you to say bye-bye."

"NNNNNN! PLSSS!"

The two younger men grabbed his arms and tossed him in the open section of the floor, then Trent stepped back. He saw Robert stand still, reached out and pulled him back as well. "You don't want to stand there, dude. Trust me."

"Uh, O.K.," Robert said. "I'll trust you."

Jane adjusted the dials and muttered, "Good thing I memorized the setting."

Stone struggled even harder and Jane aimed the box at him, then pushed the button. He screamed into his gag as the light came out of the box and engulfed him. When it faded several seconds later, he was gone.

Jane set the box down again, looked at Daria, then asked, "Who's your friend?"

"Oh!" the small teen said quickly and moved up to Robert. "Jane, Trent, this is Robert Nelson. Robert, this is my best friend, Jane Lane, and her brother, Trent."

Robert and Trent shook hands, then he shook Jane's hand. "I'm - pleasantly surprised - to be honest. This all still feels somewhat unreal."

_I know,_ Daria thought, then said, "He saved my life - several times."

Jane looked him over as they shook hands, her right eyebrow raised and smiled at him. Then she saw a warning look on Daria's face, released his hand and said, "Then you're our friend, too. Thank you."

Trent pointed at the dog at Robert's feet and asked, "What about him?"

Robert turned to Daria. "You told me that his owner is your history teacher?"

"That's right!" Daria turned to Jane. "We need to get Buster back to DeMartino, then I need to get home fast. Mom and Dad are probably worried sick about me - I hope."

Confusion showed on Jane's face. "Why would they be worried, Daria?" she asked. "You've only been gone for less than an hour."

"What are you talking about, Jane?" Daria countered. "I've been gone for almost three days!"

"What?"

"I've been with Robert for three days!"

"She's right," the older man said and sat down on a nearby chair. "It's been three days." He gently rubbed the dog's neck.

"Oh!" Daria said and knelt by his left shoe. "I forgot about your ankle." She quickly untied his shoe and pulled it off.

"What happened to his ankle?" Trent asked.

"I twisted it as we rushed for the light," he said and winced as Daria pulled his sock off.

"Wiggle your toes," the teen told him and he did so. "O.K., rotate your ankle."

The man did, but winced and bit his lower lip. "Nothing feels broken," he said and moved the front of his foot up and down. "But it does hurt. I think I just sprained it."

She handed him his sock and sighed in relief. "I was terrified that you broke it." She gave him a weak smile, then looked at Jane. "What time is it?" she asked.

"Just a little after four," the taller girl said.

"Since it's _still_ Friday here, DeMartino's left the school by now," Daria said "Let's go to his house where we can give Buster back to him." She smiled at Robert. "Then I want to go to Kim's Pizza on the other side of town."

"Kim's?" Jane asked. "What's wrong with Pizza King?"

"Kim's makes a better pizza." Daria pulled off the coat, then her book bag and her chain mail. "Plus it's _not_ the school hangout like Pizza King is."

"It's also more expensive," Jane pointed out.

"I don't care," Daria said as she helped Robert out of his gear.

"Why are we going out for pizza?" he asked. "Shouldn't you be going home?"

"My parents don't expect me home until eight or nine tonight," she said. "We're going out for pizza...for you. How does a super pepperoni pizza sound?"

Robert smiled and closed his eyes.

**oooooooooo**

Ezra Stone groaned as the light faded and looked around at his new surroundings. _I'm in some neighborhood. It's Fostoria! But something's wrong._

He heard something behind him and rolled over. A whine escaped his lips as he saw some twenty different people moving towards him. All of them were blue-gray in color and most of them had parts missing in their bodies. Plus their eyes were all blank white in color.

Then his gaze settled on one man clad in a torn and stained white lab coat. His right arm was completely missing and his heart and lungs showed behind an exposed rib cage. _Dr. Casey! Oh, no! NO!_

He screamed into the gag as the people all gathered around him. As their fingers dug into his skin, he felt his consciousness fade, but one last thought came to him mind.

_This isn't fair!_


	14. Buster's Farewell

**14. Buster's Farewell**

Trent drove the panel van through a residential section of Lawndale as Jane kept watch on the houses they passed.

"There it is," she said and pointed. "That gray one-story house over on the right. Pull over, Trent." Then she turned around and said, "We're here, Daria."

Daria sat with Robert on the floor in the back as they played with Buster. "Do you want me to go to the door with you?" she asked.

Robert looked at Buster, rubbed the dog's head and said, "I...I can't do this." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I can't take him up to the house." He looked at Daria through tear-blurred eyes. "I think I'm about to lose it as it is."

He pulled the dog up to his chest and hugged him. "It's time for you to go home, Buster. Get reacquainted with your master." He suppressed a sob and said, "This is harder than I realized it would be."

The dog's response was to lick his face and wag his tail. He barked a couple of times and licked his face again.

"Can you take him up there, Daria?" he asked. "Please?"

"Lane, you come up to the door with me," she said and picked up Buster. "Come on, boy." She looked at Robert briefly. "You O.K. with this?"

"He belongs to this DeMartino person," he said. "He needs to go home."

"What if he offers us a reward?"

Robert blinked. "I don't know. Don't ask, just let him offer first."

Daria and Jane stepped out the van's front passenger side door, shut it and walked up the sidewalk of the gray house. The dog was tucked neatly in the crook of Daria's right arm; his tail wagged as the girls walked.

In the van, Trent turned around and said, "Hey, you gonna be O.K.?"

Robert nodded and wiped his eyes. "He's been my constant companion for most of the last nine months. It just hurts worse than I realized it would."

Jane knocked on the door and they only had to wait for three seconds before it opened. "YES, what IS it?" Anthony DeMartino said. "AH, Miss Morgendorffer AND Miss Lane and..." The teacher's face paled as he looked at the dog.

Buster barked and tried to jump out of Daria's arm.

"We saw him on the other side of town and he seemed lost," Daria said as she kept a tight hold on the beagle. "When we checked his tags, we saw that he was yours."

"BUSTER!" the teacher yelled out. "Where have you been?" He held out his arms and Daria handed him the dog. Immediately, Buster licked his face.

The girls looked at each other with their eyebrows raised as their normally stressed out history teacher laughed and became misty-eyed.

"Uh, we'll leave you two alone now," Jane said. "Bye now."

"Wait!" he yelled out. He released the dog inside the house and turned back to the girls. "Thank you for bringing my dog back to me. It's been a long six weeks without him." He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and gave Daria a hundred dollar bill out of it. "This is the reward I had for his return." He sniffled and smiled at them. "I better get him some food and water. Thank you, girls." He shut the door and they walked back to the van.

"Not everyday we make a hundred bucks," Jane said.

"This is for Robert," Daria replied. "He's the one who took care of Buster for the last nine months."

"This time difference don't make sense, _amiga_. How could you have been gone three days and the dog for nine months? What the hell happened to you? Why were you dressed and armed like that?"

The auburn-haired girl stopped and sighed. "Zombies, Jane. The world I went to was overrun with them."

"Zombies? You mean like on _Dawn of the Dead_?"

Daria nodded and they walked on. "I was almost killed. If Robert hadn't been there..."

"That's another thing, Daria. Who is this guy? He looks as old as your dad."

"He's thirty-one, Jane. He saved my life and protected me." She smiled. "He's really nice." They reached the van and she added, "We'll talk more about him later, Lane."

"Did he hurt you?" Jane asked quickly.

Daria turned and shook her head. "Like I said, he's really nice. But he lost everyone in his family to the zombies."

"Why is he here?" Jane then asked.

Daria had grabbed the door handle, but stopped and looked at Jane again. "What are you trying to say, Jane?"

"I don't know, Daria. It's just...you're taking some older man you just met a few days ago to a pizza place, and not the student hangout, either. You say the C-note is for him and you give me the evil eye when I look him over. It's like he's your man and you don't want anyone else to know. Well, is he?"

The smaller teen blinked and sighed. "He protected me and helped me get back home. Now, I'm paying him back for what he did. I promised him that I would help him get oriented in this world."

"Wait till your parents meet him." A smirk appeared on Jane's face. "They're gonna freak."

"I never said he was my man."

"The 'rents won't believe you, Daria. They're still gonna freak." Then the taller teen thought, _If you deny it, Daria, I'm not sure I'll believe it, either._

**oooooooooo**

Kim's Pizza was located on the far side of Lawndale, heading towards Wilmington and Philadelphia. Trent parked the panel van in the middle of the parking lot and said, "Lot's empty. Are you sure they're even open?"

"They open at eleven each morning," Daria said. "Friday night rush doesn't happen until five-thirty or six. That's good. We may have the place to ourselves awhile. Let's go in." She turned to Robert. "Leave your weapons out here. Unless you have a permit to carry, the cops _will_ arrest you. We don't need that kind of trouble."

As the four walked in the darkened restaurant, Daria looked at Robert, who seemed tense and nervous. "It's O.K.," she said. "You can relax."

"That's easy for you to say," he replied and scanned the building's interior. "I avoided darkened places like this in Fostoria. Too easy for the dead to hide in."

A twentyish, red-haired waitress escorted them to a booth and laid a couple of menus on the table. "Do you need a minute to decide?" she asked.

"We'll have a large super pepperoni pizza and a pitcher of Ultra Cola," Daria said and looked at Robert. "You sit on the inside." He scooted in and looked over the menu.

"Large or extra large?"

Daria and Jane smiled at each other, then at the waitress. " Make it an extra large."

As the waitress wrote the order down, Robert spoke up. "We'd also like a large order of garlic bread with cheese, please."

"Are you sure?" Daria asked him.

"Do you know how long it's been since I had garlic bread?" he asked her back.

"I see your point." She sat down next to him and said to Jane and Trent, "You two get the other side."

Jane shrugged and said, "Sure."

Before either she or Trent could sit down, however, Daria handed them two one-dollar bills. "Why don't you two pick out some music on the jukebox?" she asked. "While you're doing that, Robert and I will have a...talk."

Jane noticed Daria's expression and nodded. "Gotcha," she said and pulled Trent with her. "C'mon, bro, let's check out what they have."

As the two left the booth, Daria looked at Robert and narrowed her eyes. Then, she said dryly, "We have some things we need to discuss."

Robert felt his mouth dry up and cleared his throat. The girl backed him up slightly in the seat and he asked, "We do?"

"Oh, yes." She stared at him for several seconds, then asked, "You didn't really believe I - or we - would make it back to my world, did you?"

He blinked and looked down at the table.

She lifted his chin and said, "Look me in the eyes and talk to me."

"O.K.," he said and returned her look. "No, I did not believe it would happen. Not really."

"I see," she said. "If it hadn't worked, and we managed to survive and get to another shelter, then what would have happened? How long would it have taken you to make romantic - or sexual - advances on me?"

The question obviously startled Robert and he smiled weakly at her. "I was going to wait six to eight weeks," he admitted. "That way we would know each other better."

Daria smiled at him, but the smile didn't touch her eyes. "I thought that your sex drive was diminished."

He seemed to deflate slightly and said, "I lied." He looked outside the window briefly, then back at the girl. "You were terrified of me - afraid of a rape that could happen at any time. I lied to calm you down, Daria." He closed his eyes. "I didn't - don't - want you to be afraid of me."

"O.K."

Just then, the waitress showed and set the pitcher of cola down with four ice filled glasses on the table. She also set down a platter with six slices of Texas-style garlic toast covered with melted mozzarella cheese. Steam rose from the bread and the two could smell the aroma of garlic and toasted bread. She looked at Robert and gave him an inviting smile. "The pizza will be a few more minutes," she said.

"Thank you," he said, his attention on the bread.

The waitress lingered a few seconds and looked at him, then moved on.

Daria watched her as she moved back to the waitress station, a slight frown on her face. "You haven't even been in my world an hour yet and you already have the attention of a good-looking woman - closer to your age." She then noticed that he simply stared at the bread. "What's wrong?"

"I'm savoring it," he said. "It's been so long."

"You can't have your cake and eat it, too," she said. "Better eat it before it cools off."

Robert picked up one piece of bread. "Grab one, too. I don't want to eat this alone." He then ate the bread slowly, one bite at a time.

Daria grabbed one slice, bit off a portion and ate it in silence. After she swallowed that bite, she asked, "What would you have done if I had invited you into my bed last night?"

"You wouldn't have done that," he said quickly and looked at her sideways. "You _didn't_ do it."

"Just suppose I did," she said, "and answer the question, please."

He wiped melted garlic spread off of his chin and sighed. "I don't know. Part of me says 'Hell, yes!' and part of me says, 'Wait.'" He shook his head. "No, let me answer honestly. I would have accepted and been honored, too, but it would have been too early. I'm thankful you didn't."

_So am I, _she thought. "You would have accepted...despite what you still feel for Maggie..."

"Maggie is dead!" he said quickly and forcefully. "For your information, I loved my wife very much. I still do. But she is dead and our wedding vows ended with her death."

Daria gently touched his left arm. "Robert, I'm sorry. I'm not attacking you or your devotion to Maggie. You didn't let me finish. But I saw her picture and she was beautiful - much more beautiful than I am. I'm not in her league, and I don't believe I ever will be."

"Don't sell yourself short, Daria. You're very good looking. The man who you end up marrying will be lucky, just based on what I know of you right now."

She blushed. "Thank you." Trent and Jane came back to the table then and the pizza was brought out.

The three younger people dug in, while Robert stared at the slice on the plate before him. "What are you waiting for?" Jane asked. "Get it while it's hot."

"It's been more than a year," he said and picked up the slice.

"You did say that you wanted the pepperoni grease on your chin and your fingers," Daria reminded him.

"That's right, I did," he said and bit into the pizza. They watched as he closed his eyes and ate slowly. When he swallowed, he sighed, smiled and then noticed their stares. "What?"

"You look happy," Trent said. "It is good pizza."

"It don't get much better than this," Robert said and ate the rest of the slice.

Daria looked at him still as she ate her slice. _What am I going to tell Mom and Dad about you? You're going to need their help to get started and I have no idea where to begin._


	15. A Place to Sleep

**15. A Place to Sleep**

Robert took a bite of pizza and then shook as he held his mouth open and let out a deep groan.

"What?" Daria asked. "What is it?"

Jane laughed and said, "I know what it is. Melted cheese burn. Quick! Drink your soda!"

Quickly, he grabbed his glass and rushed to stop the burn. After a couple of seconds, he chewed the bite of food, swallowed and took another drink. Then he took a couple of deep breaths and said, "Now, that's a feeling I missed." Then he moved his mouth carefully. "Though, not as much as I thought I did."

"So, Robert," Jane said. "What kind of work do - _did_ - you do where you were from?"

"I worked in a factory," he said. "We made cheese puffs. I worked in shipping."

"Sounds good," Daria said.

"It was, especially all the free product I got to take home." He sighed and looked down. "My kids loved the cheese puffs."

With that note, conversation drifted to the weather and they finished their meal somewhat awkwardly.

**oooooooooo**

Trent drove the panel van to the Lane property and said, "We need to unload this stuff here until we can decide what to do with it."

"The transporter - or whatever it is - needs to be destroyed," Robert said. "Plus, I need to be taken to a homeless shelter, so I can have a place to sleep."

Daria turned to him. "No - not the homeless..." Her voice trailed off and she looked at Jane.

"We can destroy it later on," Jane said and nodded at Daria. "When we're sure of a safe way _to_ destroy it. But we need to get rid of this van - but clean off all our fingerprints and stuff first." She looked at Robert then. "As far as having someplace to crash, you can stay here with us."

"Are you sure it's O.K.?" he asked. "I don't want to be any trouble - or cause problems with your parents."

"Oh, it'll be no trouble," Trent said. "We have plenty of room. You could use Wind's room."

"Wind?" Robert asked.

"Our older brother," Trent answered. "He's still married - I think. Plus, if our parents were here, they'd insist that you stay."

"They're traveling right now," Jane added. "Our family's known as the Wandering Lanes."

"I appreciate this," Robert said and sighed in relief.

The four unloaded the van quietly, including the black box and all of Stone's notes. After that was accomplished, Jane and Daria wiped the walls, seats and front panel down, while Trent retrieved a pair of old gloves to cover his hands.

Then while Trent drove the van off, the girls took Robert on an impromptu tour of the Lane home.

"And this is the refrigerator where we store...stuff," Jane said. "I'm not even sure what some of it is."

"Is it animal, vegetable or mineral?" Daria asked him, a small smile on her face. "Reach in and find out that it may be just...hungry."

"No thanks," Robert said and laughed.

Jane showed him all the bedrooms, but stopped at one. "This is Wind's room. You should have no problem sleeping in here. Unless he shows up in the middle of the night crying and asking for marriage advice."

"Why would he do that?" he asked.

"He can't seem to stay married," Jane stayed. "I'm not even sure which marriage he's on right now."

Daria turned to Jane. "Can you give me and Robert a few minutes alone?" she asked.

Jane looked from Robert to Daria. "Sure, _amiga_. I'll be downstairs waiting for you."

They walked into the room and Daria shut the door, then set her book bag on a nearby chair.

Robert smiled at her as he set his backpack on the floor near the bed. "You sure you want to be alone in here with me?" he asked.

She gave him a small smile in return and crossed her arms over her chest. "We were alone in the same room all last night. I was safe with you then. I'm safe with you now."

He nodded. "You most definitely are," he said. "I have a question for you, Daria."

"Oh?"

"Why did you ask me about MTV the other day?"

Daria's smile became weak and she moved to her book bag. She quickly opened it, pulled out _The Daria Database_, and handed it to him.

He looked over the book, page by page, at a slow pace. One time, he looked up at her quickly and she blushed deeply. Then he looked through more of the book.

Finally, he closed the book, handed it to her and let out a low whistle. "Oh, hell."

"Yeah," she said as she put the book back in the book bag. "You never watched _Daria_ on MTV?"

"No," he said and shook his head. "Not even once."

Daria moved nearer to him and said, "You mentioned watching _Beavis and Butt-Head _before. Well, if you go to Highland, Texas, you can meet them in the flesh. Though it would really be a waste of time and possibly cause a loss of brain cells. Trust me." She sat on the side of the bed, leaned forward with her hands on her knees and looked down. "It's as if my life is being recorded for another world's entertainment."

"You're much prettier in real life," he said.

She stood up quickly, smiled and blushed again.

"I'm not trying to freak you out, Daria. I'm sorry if I did."

She looked away from him. "It's O.K., Robert. Thank you for the flattery."

"I don't flatter anyone. I'm honest and tell the truth."

With a sigh, Daria turned back around and said, "I have more things to talk with you about - while we're alone."

Robert nodded. "You are my best friend," he said and a sad look appeared on his face. "Come to think about it, you are my _only _friend now." He smiled at her. "I'll be honest with you. After all, my secrets mean nothing anymore. Besides, I owe you for saving my life."

"We saved each other's lives, Robert." She took a deep breath and added, "I don't want to upset you. I just...have questions."

"Go ahead and ask me."

"Were you...intimate...with Lauren and Janelle?"

He blinked, sighed and nodded. "Yes, I was. Though I wouldn't exactly call it fun."

"Why not?" she asked. "I thought that bedding bisexuals - or lesbians - would be a guy's dream fantasy."

Robert laughed hard, blushed and shook his head. "It wasn't for fun - or a dream fantasy. They wanted a baby and my 'job' was to have sex with Lauren until she got pregnant. Every single day for six weeks, sometimes up to three times a day. Over and over and over again. While Janelle 'coached' me."

"Wow."

He sat down on the side of the bed. "Let me tell you a story. Two years ago, Maggie's workplace had a Christmas party. She, Lauren, and Janelle were co-workers and best friends, and had been since elementary school."

Daria sat down a few feet from him and looked at him as he spoke.

"Well, at that party, all three got blind, stinking drunk. Maggie swore a promise that if they needed donor sperm to have a baby, then I would provide it. I had no problem with that. After all, I was their friend, too. But as the night and drinks passed, Maggie stated that if she died, then I was 'theirs' to keep."

"My goodness," she whispered.

"I was totally sober," he said, "since I was the designated driver. I never brought it up after the party, and neither did Maggie. But, about five or six weeks after I lost my family, they called in Maggie's promise and hounded me until I gave in."

"I don't know what to say," she said.

Robert shrugged and smiled at her. "It's past, and I try not to think about it much. Do you have more questions or things you want to discuss?"

Daria got up and walked over to her book bag. "Not right now." She slung the bag over her left shoulder. "I need to get home. Mom will be there soon and I'll need to talk to her."

"Do you need me there as well?" he asked.

She shook her head. "My idea is to introduce you to them tomorrow morning." She smiled weakly at him. "I would have offered you the guest room in my house, but that would have been...awkward, to say the least."

"I understand," he said. "Your parents are probably going to think I'm some dirty old man after their daughter." He closed his eyes and sighed. "If it will be easier for you, Daria, you don't have to get their help, or even tell them about any of this. You are back to your normal life and I can find my own way here."

"No!" she said quickly. "You helped protect me and took care of me and I _will _help you."

"Think about how hard this story will be to believe," he said. "We both went through it together and I have a hard believing it happened."

"I admit that I have no idea how to tell my parents," she said and kept her gaze on him. "Robert, when you meet my mother, keep in mind that she's a lawyer."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Her B.S. meter in dealing with strangers is very good. Don't lie to her. I can get away with it, since I'm her daughter, but I don't like to push my luck."

"Would you believe I'm scared shitless to meet your folks?" he asked and smiled.

"I'm a little nervous about that, also." She moved to the door. "Good night, Robert. I'll have Jane bring you over around eleven."

"What about Trent?" he asked.

"I don't know. He's been pretty active today, so he'll probably sleep until Tuesday."

Robert laughed and said, "Pretty relaxed, I take it?"

Daria smiled. "You could say that. Robert?"

"Yes?"

"My answer would have been yes."

"What?"

"If we had been trapped in your world, and you made advances on me, I would have answered yes."

He blushed again and nodded.

"See you tomorrow." She left the room.

**oooooooooo**

By that time, Trent returned home and the girls left for Daria's home. As they approached the Morgendorffer home, they stopped at the end of the sidewalk. Daria carried her book bag over her right shoulder and the chain mail in the crook of her left arm, while Jane carried a large shopping bag.

The shorter girl smiled at the house and said, "You know, Jane, this place has never looked so good as it does right now."

"You missed it, huh?"

"I never thought I ever see it again." She laughed briefly. "I never thought I'd see my family again. I want to hug all of them. Mom, Dad, even Quinn."

Jane smirked at her. "Sounds serious. You want me to slap you until you come to your senses?"

"No." She looked at Jane. "It won't take long for my usual antipathy towards Lawndale to return."

"So you could call your trip to Robert's world to be a little vacation, huh?"

Daria blinked and thought about it briefly. "I guess so. The hotel had lousy room service, though."

"Couldn't get Robert to put a mint on your pillow, I take it?"

"It did have hot showers, so it wasn't all bad."

They walked up to the front door. Jane shifted the bag from her left hand to her right. "Are you sure about this?" she said and looked inside the bag. "We could keep these guns at my house."

Daria looked at the chain mail and shook her head. "No. I'll take them. After all, this stuff is mine now. But when I look at this..." She sighed, exhaled loudly and shook her head. "Why did I have to go through all this?"

"Because that asshole Stone sent you to that world." Jane stopped again just before they reached the house. "What are you going to tell your parents? This whole tale sounds like something from _Sick, Sad World_."

"I'm thinking about that." Daria unlocked the front door, opened it, and looked inside. "Good. Quinn and my folks aren't here, yet. Let's get this stuff in my room and put it all up."

In her bedroom, Daria hung up the chain mail in the closet, while Jane placed the weapons on the bed.

The pistols were then carefully placed in Daria's underwear drawer and then the teen unloaded her book bag. She handed _The Daria Diaries _to Jane. "Look this over while you're waiting. I found it in Robert's shelter."

Jane took the book, sat on the side of the bed and stared at the front cover. "What is this?" Then she read through the book in silence.

After ten minutes, she closed the book, laid back on the mattress and groaned. "I feel totally naked right now."

Daria smiled at her. "There were websites dedicated to this _Daria_ show on Robert's world," she said. "So I'd bet there were nudes of you on some of them." Her smile faded as she realized what she said. "There were probably nudes of me, as well."

"Was Robert one of your...fans?"

"No. He was startled when I showed him the other _Daria _book."

"The _other Daria _book? And he never saw them?" Jane looked up at her. "Yeah, right. You said you found it in his shelter. I bet he knew every book he had there including _yours_."

Daria shook her head. "I don't think so. He had piles of books in one of the rooms. Told me it was an idea to 'preserve who they were.' But he gave it up after awhile. Remember those idiots from Texas I told you about?"

"You mean Beaver and Butt-Face?"

The smile on Daria's face gave way as she laughed hard at Jane's comment. "No, Beavis and Butt-Head. They also had a show on his world and he did watch it. Apparently they were just as dumb on his world as they are on ours."

Just then, they heard the front door open and a voice downstairs. Helen Morgendorffer yelled up the stairs, "Daria, I'm home!"

Jane and Daria glanced at each other. "Well, that's my cue to leave," the tall runner said and smiled at her. "Good luck, Morgendorffer. You're going to need it." She walked a few feet, then stopped. "You know that they'll eventually find your guns, don't you?"

"I'm going to show them everything," Daria said. "It'll be easier to convince them if I do that."

"Well, like I said, good luck."

"Thank you," Daria said and swallowed nervously. "I'll walk you to the door." They walked out of the bedroom.


	16. MotherDaughter Confidences

**16. Mother-Daughter Confidences**

Daria walked Jane to the front door and waved at her as she walked away. She then sighed and looked down briefly. _This is going to be difficult, _she thought, then walked to the kitchen. _But it has to be done._

Helen spoke on her cell phone to Eric about whatever case they were working on. At the same time, she heated up water for cocoa and saw Daria. She mouthed, "You want one, too?"

Daria nodded and sat at the kitchen table tensely.

Just from her daughter's body language, Helen could tell that something was wrong. "Eric," she said, "something just came up. I'll have to call you back - no, it won't wait. No! I'll call you back, Eric. Bye." She closed the phone and looked at Daria. "What's wrong, Daria?" she asked.

The teen swallowed, closed her eyes for a second, then looked at her mother. "What I'm about to tell you will seem insane," she said. "But it's important that I tell you about it."

"Oh?" Helen looked at Daria as she prepared two cups.

"Yes. But let's wait until you have the cocoa done and I'll tell you then."

So it was a few minutes later, that Helen sat at the table with Daria, who began her tale.

The teen gripped her cup tightly and looked at the drink within it. "When Jane and I came home from school today...something happened."

Helen paled, set her cup on the table and asked, "Were you..."

"No!" Daria looked up at her mother quickly. "Nothing like that. Nothing like that. We were halfway between the school and Jane's house when some old man jumped out in front of us." She looked at the table and felt her face heat up. "Here's the crazy part. I'm the one who went through it and it seems crazy to _me_. Somehow, I don't know how, he...teleported me to another Earth in a different universe."

"What?"

Daria still looked at the table. "I spent three days there - but only one hour passed here. That Earth - it was bad, very bad." She looked up and saw her mother's disbelief. "I'm not lying, Mom, nor am I telling a bad joke. I nearly got killed over there. A man from there saved my life, protected me and helped me get back to our world."

"O.K.," Helen said, her voice skeptical. She kept her gaze on her daughter's eyes. "Why was this...other Earth...very bad?"

"It was overrun with zombies. The year before, the dead came back to life on that world." She closed her eyes. "The dead...they ate the flesh of the living. There were no more organized governments. In fact, Robert was the only living person in his city."

"Robert?" She sipped her cocoa, but kept her gaze on Daria's face.

Daria looked up at her mother and felt her face get even redder. "He's the man who saved my life, Mom. If it wasn't for him, I'd be dead right now." She saw how her mother stared at her and added, "You don't believe me."

"This sounds like a very bad joke, Daria, but the look on your face doesn't match your usual 'joke' face."

The teen blinked. "I didn't know I had a 'joke' face."

Helen gave her a small smile. "It's subtle, yes, but you do have one. I _am_ your mother, and I do know you, no matter what you may think. Right now, as crazy as your tale is so far, I'm going to take you at your word. How many people lived in this city before the 'dead' rose?"

"Robert said that the population was fourteen thousand."

"A good sized city," the older woman said and nodded, then sipped her cocoa. "How did this Robert person save you? How did he happen to be exactly where you...appeared on his world?"

Daria sipped some cocoa as well, then looked down. "I'm not the first Lawndale resident to be sent there," she said. "I am the only one to survive the experience, however. All of us appeared at the same place, after a strange thunder and loud whine."

"How many others were teleported and how did they die?"

"Robert didn't know for sure how many, but he suspected at least six. He was able to talk with two of them before they died. All the others were killed by the zombies. When a zombie bites a person, the bite is fatal, but it can take up to three days for the victim to die. He barely showed up in time before they could...get me. I was the first person to avoid being bitten." Her lip quivered and she closed her eyes. "If I had been bitten, I would be dead right now."

"Sweetie? Are you going to be O.K.?"

"Mom, I wet myself! I was so scared, I peed on myself!" She took off her glasses, quickly wiped her eyes and reined in her emotions. "I was so ashamed, because he knew I did it, too."

"Why didn't this old man also teleport Jane?" Helen asked suddenly.

"Jane jumped away faster than I could. Robert wasn't the only one who got me home. Jane and Trent took care of things from this end."

"Do you know who this old man is?"

"Jane said that his name was Ezra Stone," Daria said. "I've never heard of him, though."

Helen thought and shook her head. "I'm not familiar with him, either," she said. "Do you know where he is right now? I'd like to talk with him."

Daria sighed and looked away from Helen's face. "Uh, after I got back, we...sent him to the same place that he sent me."

"You...teleported him?"

"Jane learned how to use his machine."

"So if you sent him to a zombie-infested world..."

"...he's probably dead, right now."

"O.K." Helen sighed and watched her daughter for several seconds before she spoke again. "I take it that this Robert is still on his 'home Earth' right now as well?"

"No, Mom. He's on our world. He came back with me and is spending the night at Jane's house." She covered her face and said, "Oh, crap, this sounds so stupid and lame."

Helen stared at Daria for several more seconds, then said, "I'd like to meet this Robert."

"He'll be here tomorrow morning at eleven." Daria looked at her mother and said, "Mom, he risked his life to save me and I told him that I'd...help him get started in this world. I want you and Dad to meet him. I was hoping that you two could help him."

The older woman blinked, thought for several seconds, then drank more than half her cocoa in one gulp. "You spent three days alone with Robert?"

Daria's blush returned and she looked at her cocoa again. "Yes, but nothing happened. He was the perfect gentleman and host." She looked up at Helen. "I was afraid of him at first. Right after I...showed up, we had to run..."

"You're not much on running, sweetie."

A small laugh escaped Daria's mouth and she nodded. "I know. I didn't get far. Robert saw that I couldn't run, tossed me over his shoulder and ran across his city - without stopping."

"Did you get sick?" Helen asked. "You do get motion sickness easily."

The teen nodded. "I ended up vomiting. But Robert...he was so strong...I was afraid he would hurt me. But he didn't. He protected me and showed me how to take care of myself over there. He was the one who figured out how to get me back."

"What grade is he in? I can say that his parents lived 'off the grid' and work at getting him a birth certificate and social security card that way. Then I can get him into your school."

Daria took a deep breath. "He's thirty-one, Mom, and a widower. His wife and children all died after the dead rose."

Helen closed her eyes and said nothing at first. Then she looked at the girl and then asked, "Do you have any kind of proof of what you're telling me? I'm not calling you a liar, Daria, but you have to admit that this tale sounds totally ridiculous."

The teen finished her cocoa and stood up slowly. "Come with me to my room...and I'll show you what I brought back from there." She walked to the stairs.

Helen finished her cocoa as well, stood up and followed Daria upstairs.

In the padded bedroom, Daria opened her closet door and pulled out the chain mail on the hanger. "Robert gave me this to wear so that I couldn't be bit."

Her mother took the item and felt it over. "You can get chain mail on this Earth, Daria."

"True, but you would have noticed the charge on the credit card bill...and I'm not using my cabin fund for medieval wear." She hung it back up. "It's heavy, uncomfortable, and it protected me. Robert gave it to me."

"Are there any other items you brought back?"

Daria walked to the stack of books on her desk. She pulled out a copy of _Time_ and handed it to her.

Helen looked at the magazine cover and drew in her breath. The cover photo was obviously taken with a telephoto lens, and showed a crowd of several hundred zombies on the move through what the caption said was New York City's Broadway. One word over the photo, in ragged bold lettering, read "CHAOS!"

She sat on the edge of Daria's bed and skimmed through the magazine quickly. "My God," she finally said.

Daria then handed her issues of two newspapers, _The Fostoria Focus _and _The Toledo Blade _and she looked them over as well.

"Why two newspapers from Ohio, Daria?" the woman asked. "Where did you 'appear' on that world?"

Daria sighed and sat beside Helen. "I appeared in Fostoria, Ohio. It's south of Toledo."

The newspapers gave a more local perspective to the zombie crisis, and included local directives and guidelines on what to do, including the locations of rescue centers and instructions for reservists to report for duty.

Several more minutes passed and Helen set the newspapers and magazine aside. "If this is a joke, you've gone to a lot of expense for it."

"I would've had to make a lot of effort, too, Mom. You know I'm not _that_ energetic." Daria pulled a piece of currency out of her jacket pocket next. "I borrowed this from Robert to show you."

Helen looked at what appeared to be a hundred-dollar bill and gasped. "Teddy Roosevelt? On a hundred?" She looked over the bill carefully and then looked at Daria. "Sweetie, you've convinced me." She handed her daughter the hundred and covered her face with her hands. "Is there anything else?"

Daria moved to her dresser, opened it and pulled out a pistol. "I now own three pistols. Mom. Robert gave them to me in case we had to shoot zombies while we were out. When we got teleported back, we did have to shoot our way out."

Helen took the weapon from her daughter and looked at it numbly, then set it on the newspapers.

Then Daria moved back to her desk and said, "Now, for the icing on the cake." She took the copy of _The Daria Database _and handed it to her mother. "Apparently, on Robert's world, I...all of us...were cartoon characters on an MTV show." She looked at her mother's expression as she read the alumni newsletter from Middleton and added, "Don't tear it up, Mom."

Nearly a half-hour later, Helen gave Daria back the book and exhaled loudly. "Quinn is not babysitting for Mr. O'Connor anymore," she said and pulled Daria to her. She hugged the teen furiously and to her surprise, the girl returned her hug and started crying. "Daria? Are you O.K.?"

"I thought I was trapped!" She cried in her mother's shoulder. "I thought I'd never see you or Dad or Quinn again! I've never been so scared in my life."

Helen kissed the side of Daria's face and held her tight. "You could have said nothing about your whole experience and none of us would have been the wiser."

"I had to tell you. I couldn't just hold it in." She sniffled and kept a hold on her mother. "Robert told me that if it would be easier on me, not to tell you and that he'd find his own way. But I can't do that."

"Sweetie, I'd like to know more about Robert." She patted Daria's left shoulder and smiled. "I'm not used to this."

Daria smiled and wiped one of her eyes. "Neither am I. Mom, I'll be back to my old self soon, but don't be surprised if I hug you or Dad every so often. Being on that other Earth made me realize just what I...take for granted."

"Just be careful about hugging Quinn," Helen said and shook her head. "She may think you've gone insane." She broke the hug and smiled gently at Daria. "Now, tell me about Robert. The signals I'm getting from you are..."

Daria blushed again and looked down briefly. "I really like him, and I think...no, I _know _he likes me." She shivered. "I can't believe I said that."

"It's not unusual to fall for a protector, sweetie. Did he...make advances on you?"

"No. He really is a kind, decent man."

"Describe him to me, Daria. Tell me about him."

Daria smiled. "He's five-six or five-seven and...wait, I'll show you." She moved back to the stack of books and found the 5 x 7 photo of Robert and his family. Then she took it back to Helen and handed it to her. "This is Robert, his wife Maggie and their three children, taken a year or two ago."

"Handsome man," Helen said as she looked over the photo. "His wife is...was beautiful. How did he take their deaths?"

Daria looked down. "From what he said, bad. He would start crying when he mentioned them." She sighed. "I'm not certain, but I think he was going to eventually kill himself. But the Lawndale people started showing up and then he had something to...investigate, to work on."

"From what you said, he's been through a lot."

The teen nodded. "I invited him to come back with me, because I didn't want him to die. I...I...oh, crap. You're taking this a lot calmer than I thought you would."

Helen sighed and stood up. "I'm still in shock, Daria. I'm trying to figure out just what I'm going to say to your father." She stroked her chin. "Here's my plan so far. I'll tell your dad and Quinn that Robert rescued you from being attacked. We won't mention the teleportation part and you need to warn Robert and Jane...and Trent not to tell anyone about it."

"I'll call Jane up after we're done talking," Daria said.

"How does Robert look?" Helen asked. "Compared to his photo, that is."

"What do you mean, Mom?" Daria asked, her voice cautious.

"When a lot of the soldiers came back from Vietnam, they looked older - haunted." She touched Daria's left shoulder. "Given what he's been through, he could be the same way."

Daria remembered seeing photos and films of returning soldiers and nodded. "Oh. He does appear the same way."

"O.K. I'll tell your dad and Quinn that his family were murdered and that we're to avoid the subject." She smiled. "I have an idea. Your father's been wanting to have a cookout and this is a good time to do it." She walked to the bedroom door, then turned back to Daria. "Do me a favor, Daria."

"Oh? What?"

"Be careful with Robert. You're obviously attracted to him." The teen blushed again as the older woman spoke. "I don't want you to rush into anything."

"You don't approve, do you?"

"Not really," Helen said quickly. "There is fourteen years difference between the two of you. Your experiences and lives are quite different. Don't do anything...romantic in front of us, please."

Daria smiled weakly. "Nothing's happened, Mom. I promise. We haven't even held hands...yet."

"Daria, danger has a tendency to throw people together and create a bond. It's the normal, mundane routines of life, however, that can tear them apart. He may not be able to adjust to life here that well. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I had to give him the chance," the teen said and blinked. "I owe it to him." She cleared her throat. "Thank you for listening to me, Mom."

Helen moved back up to Daria and they hugged again. "Thank you for confiding in me, Daria."

**oooooooooo**

"So, how'd it go?" Jane asked over the phone.

"She took it better than I thought," Daria said on the other end. "I thought she'd freak out or something like that. She listened to me, though, asked questions and I convinced her."

"Do we still come over at eleven tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Daria said. "We're going to have a cookout, so that he can meet my family...in a relaxed situation."

Jane laughed. "Sorry, _amiga_, but your dad's kind of excitable and Quinn will try to get away anyway she can. That's not exactly relaxed."

"I know, Jane, I know. Just savor the humor of it. How's Robert doing?"

"From the sound of snoring coming from Wind's room, I'd say he's out like a light. He's kind of an early sleeper."

"Yeah, I know."

"Daria, I talked to you earlier today, or three days ago, or whatever, about pursuing Trent. Your focus has turned on Robert, however. Did you tell your mom?"

Daria sighed and covered her eyes with her free hand. "Yes, I did, what little there is to tell. She's not thrilled, but she took it calmly and asked me to be careful."

"Sounds like good advice to me."

"One thing, Jane. Mom doesn't want us to tell Dad or Quinn...or anyone else...about the teleportation. She said that all we need to say is that Robert saved us from being attacked and leave it at that."

"O.K., Daria. I'll let you go now. Time for me to catch up on sleep if I'm going to get up early on a Saturday."

"Early? You have to be here at eleven. That isn't early."

"Says you."

Daria smiled. "Good night, Jane."

"Good night, Daria."


	17. A Coffee Date

**17. A Coffee Date**

After Helen left Daria's room, she walked down the stairway and opened her cellular phone. She dialed a preset number, waited as it rang twice, and listened to a male voice on the other end as it said, "Stevens."

"John, this is Helen Morgendorffer."

Several seconds passed and then he asked, "What can I do for you, Helen?"

"I have a job for you."

"You tell that idiot Schrecter to kiss my ass!" he said quickly. "It's Friday night! If he can put off what he needed until now, he can put it off until Monday morning. I may do this kind of thing all the time for Mr. Vitale or Mr. Horowitz, but he's not in their league. He never will be."

Helen smiled as the private detective ranted. "This isn't for the firm, John," she finally said. "This is a personal job...for me."

There was another brief silence, then he said, "Helen, can't it wait until Monday?"

"I know you charge more for weekend work." She reached the bottom of the stairs, looked up towards Daria's room and moved back into the kitchen. "This is important, however, and I will pay the extra charge. It concerns my daughter."

"Oh," he said. "O.K. Which one?"

"Daria."

"I remember her. The sarcastic one. What problem are you having with her?"

"She's gotten herself involved with an older man," Helen said. "I want you to check him out - find out what you can about him."

"Since you're asking me to do this now, I take it you want the information as quickly as I can get it, right?"

She nodded and said into the phone, "I would appreciate it, John."

"O.K., Helen, tell me what you already know about him."

She looked back up the stairs, then said, "His name is Robert Nelson, and he's from Fostoria, Ohio. He says that he's 31 years old, but he could be older."

After another brief silence, he said, "I see. Does he have any family that you know about?"

"A wife and three children. All dead, the exact circumstances unknown."

After another silence, the detective said, "I have a cousin who's with the Ohio State Police. She's on duty this weekend. I'll contact her and have her dig up what she can."

"One thing, John. Can it be done quietly? I don't want to ruffle _any _feathers - especially Daria's."

"No problem. Helen, do you suspect something about this man? Something that could help my search?"

"I don't know. Right now, I'm just protecting my daughter. She's smart, but that doesn't mean that she can't be fooled by a con artist, if that's what he is."

"I'm on it. I'll call you when I find out something."

"Thank you, John." She exhaled and closed her phone, then looked back up the staircase. "I'm sorry, Daria," she whispered. "I trust you. I really do. But I love you, too. I'll trust _and_ verify, anyway."

**oooooooooo**

Daria looked at Robert's photo and smiled briefly at the thought of being alone with him. _It feels weird being away from him tonight_, she thought. Then she looked around the room and sighed. _I never thought I'd see my room ever again._

She laid on the bed, still fully dressed and stared up at the ceiling.

- _You act as if he's your man, _Jane's voice said in her head. _Well, is he?_

She groaned and closed her eyes.

_Who do you think you're kidding, Morgendorffer? The only reason he was interested in you was because you were the only 'game' in town. Now, he's in your world - and it's full of beautiful women - who aren't you. Besides, you've only known him for three days. Three. Freaking. Days._

_Why would he be interested in you? You're a small-built, plain-looking, seventeen-year-old "brain." He was a football player in middle and high school. His late wife looked like a cheerleader, and you look like mud._

Daria took off her glasses and pressed her pillow down on her face. _I hate this_, she thought.

She finally pulled the pillow off her face and sat up. The family portrait laid beside her and she picked it up. _I wonder if he'll still want a picture of me. _She blinked and swallowed. _I hope so._

**oooooooooo**

It was more than an hour later when Jake arrived home and got ready for bed. Helen was already in her pajamas and waited for him to join her in the bed.

Jake saw her expression and grimaced as he brushed his teeth_. Darn it, she wants to talk. Is it about Daria? Is it about Quinn? Is it about me? Is it about us? Gahhhh! I can't stand it!_

Finally, he rinsed out his mouth, took a deep breath and walked in the bedroom.

"Jake, we need to talk," Helen said.

_O.K., not her sexy voice and not her angry voice, either. Whew! More sleep time for old Jakey! _He got under the covers and laid his head on his pillow. "What about, Helen?"

"Daria."

_Yay! It's not me! That's two down. _"What's wrong with Daria? She seemed O.K. to me."

Helen rolled her eyes. "Oh, really? When did you talk to her?"

"Well...I didn't. It's just...her door was closed and her light was on. That's O.K. for Daria, isn't it?"

"Jake, someone tried to attack Daria and Jane after school today."

He suddenly sat up. "What? Someone attacked Daria and Jane?"

"She's O.K., Jake. She's O.K." She touched his right arm and lightly squeezed his bicep. "A man who was nearby stopped the attacker and helped the girls."

"Oh, thank God! You're sure she's O.K.? What about Jane?"

"Yes, Jake, they're both O.K. But he's new to the area...and homeless and Daria wants us to help him."

"I'll give him a reward, Helen. Never let it be said that Jake Morgendorffer is a skinflint, no, sir. But since he's homeless, wouldn't he just blow it all on booze?"

"Jake!" Helen sighed, then continued, "He's needs a job, plus help in getting set up around here."

"We should be able to help him with that," he said. "Does he have a family?"

She took a deep breath. "They're dead, according to Daria. She talked with him and found out that they were killed more than a year ago." She took another deep breath. "He's coming here tomorrow morning at eleven to meet us."

"What?"

"Since you've been wanting to cook out, I thought that it would be a good idea to grill some steaks and burgers and see what we can do for him."

"Why do we need to do all that?" he asked. "Couldn't we just work _behind the curtain_, like that guy on _The Wizard of Oz_?"

Helen closed her eyes. "Daria wants us to meet him. She invited him here."

"That sounds nice," he said. "You're right. I have been wanting to cook out." He licked his lips and settled down on his pillow. "Mmmm, I can taste those steaks already." Within a minute, he fell fast asleep and snored.

Helen looked down at her husband and shook her head. "There are times I'm never sure of what you're thinking," she whispered. She laid down and looked at him again. "There are times I'm never sure _if_ you're thinking."

**oooooooooo**

Sometime later, Daria walked towards the bathroom. As she passed Quinn's bedroom, she saw that the door was slightly open and looked inside.

Her younger sister laid on her side and Daria snuck up on the bed. "Time to make her jump," she whispered, a small smile on her face.

Carefully, she tapped Quinn on her left shoulder.

Quinn turned around and Daria was the one to jump instead. The redhead's left cheek had been torn away and the exposed teeth were all covered in dried blood. All the color was missing in her eyes and her skin was mottled blue and gray color. She reached out for her older sister with blood-covered hands.

**oooooooooo**

Daria sat up quickly and blinked several times as she breathed hard. "Dammit! I hate these nightmares!" As she laid back down, she closed her eyes and thought, _I wonder if Robert's having any nightmares?_

**oooooooooo**

At nearly four in the morning, Jake sat up quickly in bed, his eyes wide open and his face white. In his mind, he heard Helen's voice say, _Daria wants us to meet him. She invited him here._

He looked at Helen's sleeping form, nearly shook her left shoulder, but backed his hand away from her at the last second.

As he laid back on his pillow, he thought, _Why does Daria want us to meet some guy? Who is he? What is going on here? How many steaks should I fix? Should I fix steak fries with them? What about salad? Gahhhh!_

**oooooooooo**

Early the next morning, Jake cleaned the grill in the back yard, while Helen looked over the food in the freezer.

Quinn was dressed as she walked in the kitchen and looked at Helen in shock. Then she saw Jake through the kitchen window. "Mom, what are you and Dad doing home?" she asked. "Aren't you two usually at work right now?"

"We both took the day off and we're having a cook out." She looked over the clothes Quinn had on, nodded and said, "You're dressed just right for it."

"But, Mo-om, I'm supposed to meet the Fashion Club at the mall today."

"No buts, Quinn. You get to meet the man who saved your sister's life yesterday."

Confusion showed up on the young teen's face. "Saved her life? What are you talking about? What happened to Daria?"

Helen closed the freezer door and looked at Quinn. "Yesterday, someone, we don't know who yet, tried to attack Daria and Jane. This other man, who was nearby, stopped the attack."

"You don't need me here, then, Mom. You and Daddy can give him a reward and send him on his way and I can meet my friends. Oh, and I need a credit card for today."

"Daria invited him here - to meet us."

Quinn blinked and looked at Helen. "Daria invited _him_ here?"

"Yes."

A small smile appeared on the teen's face. "I'll call Stacy and tell her I can't make it until later. This I have to see."

Just then, Daria walked into the kitchen. She noticed that both Helen and Quinn looked at her and said nothing. She asked, "What?"

Helen blinked and said, "Nothing, sweetie, just getting out something to grill." She opened the freezer door again and turned her attention back to the frozen foods.

Quinn, however, smiled at Daria and asked, "So, who is this _man_?"

"Who is what man?"

She leaned on the table. "The man who rescued you, Daria."

Daria blushed, blinked and said, "Uh, I'll be back. I have to go to Jane's." Then she saw Helen look at her quickly and added, "I know, Mom. I know. I'll bring back a dessert for the cookout." She quickly left the house through the back door.

Quinn looked at Helen and asked, "What was _that_ about?"

"Robert is staying at Jane's house. He's doesn't have a home here, yet."

A look of horror appeared on Quinn's face. "A homeless man? Oh, no, he'll have on old clothes, smell of cheap wine and mutter. I won't be able to show my face in public again, not if he's seen here."

"Quinn! His family was murdered in Ohio more than a year ago. He moved to this area to get a fresh start in life. Which reminds me, do not mention his family to him. I want this visit to be pleasant - for Daria's sake."

"Does Daria have a boyfriend now, Mom? And this is our way of meeting him?"

_Oh, God, I hope not, _Helen thought. She sighed and closed her eyes. "I don't know, Quinn. I don't know."

"Maybe I can leave the cookout early in time to go to the mall then," the redhead said.

"We'll see."

**oooooooooo**

Outside, Daria saw Jake the same time he saw her. She blushed and he turned white. "Uh, Daria," he said quickly. "Hi, kiddo."

"Hi, Dad," she said

"No time to talk. Gotta clean the old grill off." He ran into the garage.

"O.K. I have to go, too," she said and walked quickly around the front of the house.

**oooooooooo**

Daria reached the Lane house a few minutes later and before she could knock on it, Robert opened the front door. "Oh!" she said, startled. "I didn't know you were watching me."

"I just happened to look outside," he said. "I've been up awhile and I want to go outside, but I don't want to wake up Trent or Jane." He smiled at her. "I missed you last night when I went to bed."

She blushed and stared at him. "What?"

He blushed as well and closed his eyes. "I did not mean that the way it sounded," he said quickly. "It's just that we spent the last three days together - and the night before last we slept in the same room. But last night, I found myself...lonely." He looked back up at her. "I really did miss you."

"I missed you, too." Daria blinked and swallowed. "Since we're both up, I thought that we could go out for coffee. If that's O.K. with you, that is."

He smiled at her. "I'd love it," he said. "I'm ready, then. Shall we?"

They left the house together and walked to the street.

Daria pointed to the right and said, "We'll go this way. There's a cafe downtown that is supposed to have the best coffee in town."

"You don't know for certain?" he asked.

"I'm usually not up this early," she replied, "and they close at two p.m. on weekdays." They walked past a large shrub and a large dog ran down the street, followed by two smaller dogs. "I miss Buster. I wonder how he's doing."

"I miss him, too," Robert said. "Last night, I felt like I was all alone."

"How did you sleep?"

He sighed and they stopped at a street crossing. As they waited for several cars to pass, he said, "I woke up several times, but went back to sleep. Had a weird dream that I was suddenly back in Fostoria, unarmed and surrounded by the dead. Even with that dream, last night was the first relaxing night of sleep I've had since the winter storms."

"You do look more relaxed...more calm," she said. "I like it."

"Thank you," he said, "but I don't feel that calm. The more I think about meeting your parents, the more I get nervous."

"Be yourself, Robert. You're polite and kind. Don't be worried about it." She looked at him for a few seconds, then said, "You've told me that I'm pretty. Were you just being polite?"

"I'm being honest," he replied. "You are very pretty." A blush appeared on his face and he smiled. "I'm pleased - and surprised - that you're even with me today."

"Why wouldn't I be with you?"

"We're not in danger anymore, Daria. You're home. You could have just had me go away and leave you alone. I would have, and understood. After all, I look 'old' and I know it."

"I like being with you, Robert Nelson," she said quickly. "I wouldn't treat you that way, anyway. Not after what you've done for me. Like I said before, you're polite and kind. Besides that, you are a very handsome man."

"Thank you." His smile widened and he laughed. "But I do need to get my hair cut. Before the dead...well, you know, before that time, I always kept it cut short."

Daria stopped and Robert stopped with her. She looked his head over and shook hers. "I don't think so - not yet, at least," she said. "I like it the way it is. It's the right length and it looks good on you."

"Thank you again." He ran his hand through it briefly. "I'll leave it the way it is, then."

**oooooooooo**

After they reached the cafe, Robert and Daria sat in a booth near the middle and drank coffee. Most of the patrons were older couples and they mainly gathered in groups to laugh and talk.

"I think this is more a social center than a cafe," he said and sipped his coffee.

"It's a little of both," she said. "I have another question - about Lauren and Janelle."

He sighed and looked at her. "You're pretty curious about them, I've noticed."

"I'm curious about _you_. I want to learn more about you." She blushed, looked down briefly, then looked back up at him. "I want to know you better."

He swallowed. "I want to know you better, too," he said.

"Do you still want a picture of me?"

"Yes, I do, Daria. I would love to have one."

She reached inside her purse briefly, pulled out a school portrait of herself and handed it to him. "I'm not that pretty, I know..."

"Stop doing that," he said.

"What?"

"Quit putting yourself down. Maggie used to do the same thing and it drove me nuts."

"Maggie was a beautiful woman."

"She didn't think so, herself. She always kept putting herself down."

"Well, she _was_ beautiful, Robert."

"So are you," he said quickly.

Daria had just sipped her coffee and swallowed it wrong. She coughed several times and looked at her companion. Her face was totally red in color and sweat appeared on her forehead.

"Are you O.K.?" he asked, concern in his voice.

"Yes," she said, her voice slightly hoarse. "Swallowed wrong."

"Now, what did you want to know about Lauren and Janelle?"

Daria wiped her forehead off with a napkin and leaned back in the booth seat. "I know you said that Fostoria was your home and all that."

"Yes, that's right."

"Why didn't you go to Montana with them? You don't just stay in a dead city because of some outdated 'hometown' concept."

Robert smiled at her and watched her as he sipped his coffee. "You don't believe me, huh?"

"Let's just say that it rings a little - false."

"O.K. You're very perceptive. I told you last night that my secrets really don't matter anymore. Here goes. I was told that I wasn't going with them."

"Which one told you that?" she asked.

"Both of them," he said. "But it was mostly Janelle. Towards the end of...you know..."

"Yes, I know," she said. "_That_ blows my mind, by the way."

"It seems like a bad dream to me, and I went through it. Well, Janelle got very jealous. She believed that Lauren fell in love with me and that I wanted to steal her woman from her." He laughed, but it was short and bitter. "If I were to have shown up in Montana later, Janelle would've shot me. I'm fairly certain of that."

"Did you?"

He raised one eyebrow. "Did I _what_?" he asked.

"Did you _want_ Lauren?"

Robert shook his head. "No. Understand this. I don't mean to be so...forward in the way I'm discussing this with you, but you want to know and I'm willing to tell you. There is more to lovemaking than just intercourse alone. Much more. There's foreplay, simple touch, looks and kissing. Most importantly, talking intimately with your lover. With Lauren, there was no foreplay, no kissing, no talking and very little touch. What I did with her was very...mechanical. It was also very damned boring."

Daria blushed. "I'm sorry if I hit a nerve."

"You know, as long as the three of us stayed together, I only got one kiss from each of them. Once from Janelle when Lauren realized that she really was pregnant. Then once from Lauren when they left for Montana." He leaned back and sipped more coffee. "Now, why don't you tell me about your love life. I'm curious to hear about it."

She snorted and looked down at her coffee. "What is there to tell? I don't have one - I never have. If you don't count best friends, that is."

"You never had a boyfriend?" he asked.

"Well, yes, I almost did once, but it didn't work out." She still looked at her coffee.

Robert looked at her for several seconds, then he reached his left hand towards her.

Daria looked at his hand silently, then looked back up at his face and said, "You can do better than me."

"You could also do better than me," he replied. "After what we've been through together, I'm willing to bet on you, however."

She reached her right hand out and took hold of his. When she felt him grip her firmly, she smiled. "We need to be...subtle," she said. "I'm not sure how Dad will take it."

"What about your mother?"

Daria laughed shortly. "I already know how she's taking it. I told her last night that we...liked each other."

Robert smiled. "How loud did she scream?"

"She didn't scream," she said. "At least, not yet. But she hasn't forbidden it, either."

"What about your sister? Quinn, isn't it?"

She closed her eyes and groaned. "She's going to enjoy it - at my expense." She looked up at him. "Be prepared to be grilled - intensely. The fact that you're a former football player will count some, in her books."

He squeezed her hand slightly and asked, "This isn't going to be a problem, is it?"

"Oh, it will be," she admitted, "but I'm willing to deal with it, if you are."

"Four days ago, you were terrified of me," he said. "Obviously, you're not now."

"No, I'm not." She looked down briefly. "You protected me and took care of me over there. The idea you had for getting me back home...I would have thought of that eventually. But you thought of it right away. You could have tried to keep me there, but instead you risked everything to get me home." She looked back up at him. "I trust you and I feel safe with you."

"I'm actually a bit scared of Lawndale, myself," he said.

Confusion showed up in Daria's features. "Why?"

"I'm not used to this many living people. Daria, I remember the sounds of dogs yelping, children screaming and car tires screeching. For nearly three weeks those sounds were constant. Then they faded away to be replaced by the moaning of the dead."

She shivered and briefly closed her eyes.

Robert then said, "Several times, I've reached for my guns and felt my mouth dry up when they're not there. I'm not used to being unarmed."

She squeezed his hand and said, "I'm here with you. I'll protect you here."

**oooooooooo**

After they left the cafe, they walked beside each other, but avoided holding hands on the street. They passed a bakery and Daria said, "We need to stop here. I told Mom that I'd get us a dessert for the cookout."

They went inside and Robert waited as she picked out a large red velvet cake and paid for it.

When they left, he said nothing for a few minutes. Then, he asked, "Why did you buy a red velvet cake?"

"It's a nice way to introduce you to Lawndale," she said. "Don't you like red velvet cake?"

"I love it," he said. "But how did you know I did?"

"I didn't," she lied and looked ahead. "I took a chance on the belief that you _would_ like it."

He looked at her as they walked on, his expression slightly skeptical.

**oooooooooo**

When they reached the Lane home, Daria turned to Robert and said, "Do not tell my family about Lauren or Janelle...or their baby. Don't tell Dad or my sister about the teleportation, the zombies or the _other_ Earth. I told Mom about what we went through together, but she feels that we should keep quiet about it."

"Did she believe your story?" he asked.

Daria sighed and shrugged. "She said she did...but I don't know, for sure. She may still wonder if you're some sort of crook...or sex fiend."

Robert winced. "I'll watch my manners at your house."

She smiled at him. "You'd better."

They briefly joined hands and he returned her smile.

"I'll see you at eleven," he said.

"You'd better," she said again. "I'll call Jane at ten or ten-thirty to make sure she's up." She let go of his hand. "See you later, Robert."

"I'm looking forward to it, Daria."


	18. The Cookout

**18. The Cookout**

Helen looked out the front window and saw Daria walk up with a cake, apparently from the bakery downtown. Her cellular phone rang and she automatically answered it, "Hello."

"Helen, it's John Stevens," the voice on the other end said.

She sighed and smiled as she said, "What did you find out, John?"

"There are four Robert Nelsons in Fostoria, Ohio, and its immediate area," he said. "One is an eleven-year-old boy and a second one is sixty-six and in a nursing home suffering from Alzheimer's. The third is twenty-one years old, but left the area rather suddenly a month ago, after his girlfriend's death. He's rumored to be in either the Baltimore, Wilmington or Philadelphia areas."

"How did his girlfriend die?" she asked.

Stevens sighed over the phone. "Her father tried to outrun a train - and failed. The whole family died in the accident."

"He's too young, anyway, John. What about the fourth one?"

"He died five months ago. Industrial accident. Left behind a wife and two children. He was thirty."

Helen frowned and silently cursed, but said calmly, "Thank you for your work, John. Send Marianne a bill and I'll send you the payment."

"Sorry it was a bust, Helen. I could expand the search, if you want."

"I'll wait until Monday and let you know. I'll see how this weekend goes first." She hung up the phone and sighed.

Daria walked inside and said, "Here's the cake, Mom."

Helen looked at it and frowned. "Why did you get a red velvet cake?" she asked.

"It sounded good."

"For a cookout?"

"I paid for it, Mom, and besides, Robert likes red velvet cakes."

"Oh." Helen put her right hand over her eyes and asked, "How well do you really know Robert, sweetie?"

Daria looked at her and shrugged. "I've only known him for three days, but after what we went through together, it feels like it's been a lot longer. My life was in his hands on his world, and now he's relying on me to help him in mine...ours, since he's here now, too."

She set the cake on the table and left to go to her room.

Helen watched her leave the room. "I want to stop this, Daria," she said, "but I'm afraid that if I do, I'll lose you." She turned to walk outside and sighed.

**oooooooooo**

At eleven, Daria answered the front door to find Jane and Robert standing there. "Trent didn't come?" she asked, a small smile on her face.

"You know that he won't be up for four or five more hours," Jane said.

"If that early," Daria replied. She saw the nervousness in Robert's face and reached her right hand out to him. She touched his left arm, smiled at him and said, "Come on, I'll introduce you to my family." Then, she whispered, "Calm down. They don't bite - at least not until they know you a little better."

"Oh, that's really comforting," he whispered back. "But do _you_ bite?"

She looked at him and blushed.

Quinn looked at how they whispered to each other and also noticed how Daria blushed after he whispered. "Oh, this is going to be fun," she said to herself. "Daria and an _older_ man. He's kind of handsome, too, for his age. Maybe I _don't_ want to leave at all. I can't wait to tell Stacy about this." She approached them. "Ahem. Daaaria, who's your..._friend_?"

Daria's blush deepened as she said, "Um, Quinn, this is Robert Nelson. He...helped me and Jane out yesterday."

"Pleased to meet you," he said and shook her hand.

"How _old_ are you?" Quinn asked Robert as he let go of her hand.

"Quinn!"

"It's O.K., Daria. I anticipated this. I'm thirty-one."

"You look much older than that."

He returned her look - straight in the eyes. "I've had...some bad experiences and let's leave it at that," he said, his voice even.

"Did you play sports in school?" she asked. "You look like a football player."

"Yes, I did."

"Did you date all the cheerleaders?" she asked. "Or the popular girls?"

Robert laughed and shook his head. "I dated three girls - and the last one I ended up marrying. None of them were cheerleaders. As far as popularity goes, I didn't follow that. It wasn't important to me."

Quinn sighed and shook her head. "That partly explains why you're with Daria, then," she said. "If you weren't popular, how did you get on the football team?"

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Because I was good at it. I knew what offense was - and made the opposing quarterback scared when he saw me coming for him. I never was quarterback or the team captain, but that didn't matter. For three years our team was unbeatable - until graduation caught up with us and split us up."

"Are you wanting to sleep with Daria or something?" she asked quickly. "Why else would you be interested in someone her age?"

"Quinn!" Daria said and moved in front of Robert. "How dare you!"

Jane looked from Daria to Quinn to Robert and stood back to watch, a small smile on her face.

"I found Daria to be a kindred spirit as I talked to her," he said and smiled. He then put his hand on Daria's right shoulder. "Calm down, Daria." He looked back at the redhead. "I respect your sister, Quinn, and there are boundaries in our relationship, as there should be in any good relationship. I care for her, I want to know her better, and I want her to get to know me better."

Helen walked in the living room then and looked at Robert. She took a deep breath, walked up and held out her right hand. "You must be Robert Nelson," she said. "I'm Helen Morgendorffer, Daria's mother."

Robert took her hand and she gripped him - hard. He looked at her and said calmly, "I'm pleased to meet you."

Her gaze seemed to bore into his eyes and she asked, "You're thirty-one?"

"Yes, ma'am, I am. I know I look older, but I really am thirty-one."

"Daria is just seventeen, Mr. Nelson," she said. "A child."

"Mom!" Daria cried out.

Robert kept his gaze on Helen as he nodded and said, "Actually, she's a lot more mature than a lot of the so-called adults I once worked with."

"I see," she said. "Is that why you want to be involved with my daughter? Because she acts 'mature'?"

"Like I told Quinn, ma'am, I found Daria to be a kindred spirit. She told you about our situation when I rescued her?"

"Yes," Helen said, "she did."

"Well, she taught me that there is a reason to keep on going, to not give up. I'll always appreciate that."

"Well, thank you, anyway, for helping the girls." The older woman released his hand and gave him a forced smile. "Why don't you have a seat while I talk to Daria a minute."

Jane led Robert to the couch as Daria followed her mother to the kitchen. "Well said," she whispered to him. "But really, I have the same question that Quinn asked you. How _do _we know you just don't want to jump Daria's bones?"

He looked at the brunette. "Did Daria tell you about where I'm from?" he asked as they sat down. "About what it was like?"

"Yeah, it was pretty freaky from the way she described it."

"I had ample opportunity to 'jump her bones' there," he whispered back. "I'm not saying I'm some sort of saint, because yes, it _would've_ been fun. But it's way too early for _that_. All good things come in their own time. Since Daria's body is her own, then it's up to her to decide when she's ready for that step."

"And I'll bet you'll be ready then, huh?" Jane asked.

Robert simply smiled at her.

**oooooooooo**

In the kitchen, Helen turned to Daria and said, "My God, Daria, he looks like he's in his forties."

"He's thirty-one, Mom. You don't believe him...or me, do you?"

"I'm not saying that!" Helen said. "It's just that..."

"You think he's a pedophile," the teen said, frowned, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You told me he was a gentleman and a perfect host, sweetie. I believe you. It's just that...what if he really _is _a pedophile...or just gets too excited at the wrong time? Just because he's 'thirty-one' doesn't mean that he will control himself when the temptation hits."

Daria sighed and said, "Mom, he could have...attacked me anytime over there. I couldn't have stopped him. You can see how strong he is. He could have kept me there as his prisoner and I'd still be there now. But he didn't. He respected my privacy, did what he could to calm my fear of him and helped me to get home. He protected me. I trust him." She moved up to Helen and hugged her briefly. "I'm not going to be taken advantage of. I promise you."

"I still think he's too old for you," Helen said and returned the hug, "and I don't like you two being a couple. Why don't you take him outside to meet your father. See what _he _has to say about all this?"

The look on Daria's face reflected the teen's sudden worry and she broke the hug.

Helen gave her a small, victorious smile and added, "You two will have to work hard to earn _our_ approval for this, Daria. I know you think your father is 'easy' to handle, but you don't want to back him into a corner. He might just surprise you. Now take Robert out there and sacrifice him...I mean, introduce him to your dad. I'll watch the...scene from the window."

**oooooooooo**

"Your mom doesn't trust me," Robert said as they walked outside together. Jane and Quinn followed close enough to listen in on their conversation.

"No, she doesn't," Daria admitted.

He glanced back at Jane and Quinn and said, "I don't think Jane or Quinn totally approve of me, either."

She looked back at the two, a warning glare on her face and they backed up slightly.

"I can understand that," he said. "After all, I do look old enough to be a 'dirty old man'. Even if I looked my actual age, I could still be accused of 'robbing the cradle'."

She stopped, glanced at the two girls behind them and then looked up at him. "But I'm not a baby," she said loudly. "I am old enough to make my own decisions as far as relationships go. And I choose you." She smiled. "People _will _get used to it. As if this affected them in any way. If they don't, then that's their problem."

In the yard, Jake looked at the man with Daria and froze. He blinked as he looked at him and thought for several seconds. Then a look of recognition appeared on his face and he paled. "My God," he whispered. "It's true. It really is true."

In the kitchen, a predatory smile appeared on Helen's face and she said, "Go get him, Jake. Be your usual, over-excited self. Scare the wildlife off in the process."

Outside, Robert whispered to Daria, "Might as well get this part over with." He moved towards Jake.

Jake quickly walked from the grill and met Robert halfway. He held out his hand and said, "You must be Robert Nelson. I'm Jake Morgendorffer. Welcome to our home. Have you been given something to drink yet?"

The reaction caught both Robert and Daria off guard and he briefly glanced at his girlfriend as he said, "Uh, not yet, Mr. Morgendorffer." He took the offered hand and was surprised at the firmness of the grip.

"Call me Jake. There's no need for formalities here."

"Thank you, Jake. In that case, just call me Robert."

Jake released Robert's hand and motioned towards the grill. "Come on, Robert. Let's talk while I grill lunch." He turned to his still astonished daughter. "Daria, why don't you get Robert something to drink and see when your mother is going to bring out the hamburger patties? The steaks will be done in another five or ten minutes."

"Uh, O.K.," she said and quickly went inside. Jane and Quinn stared at Jake for several seconds, then turned to look at each other, their mouths open.

"I didn't expect to see that happen," Jane whispered to Quinn. "I expected to see the blood and fur fly."

"Tell me about it," the redhead replied. "He's treating Daria's boyfriend like he's some sort of client, or someone popular or famous."

Helen gawked at the window and watched as Jake and Robert walked to the grill and talked. "Jake Morgendorffer, what in the hell do you think you are doing?" she whispered and closed her eyes. "That man is going to be the death of me yet."

Daria came inside, opened the refrigerator and grabbed two twenty-ounce plastic bottles of Ultra Cola. As she closed the door, she said, "Mom, Dad wants to know when the hamburger patties will be ready for him to grill."

The older woman regained her composure and cleared her throat. "I'll bring the burgers out in a few minutes, sweetie," she said. "How are Robert and your father getting along?"

"Great," Daria said and blinked. Her voice reflected her shock. "I'm waiting for the lightning to strike us - or the sun to turn blood red - or both." She went back outside.

**oooooooooo**

At the grill, Jake lowered his voice and said, "Robert, I know about what happened to your family, and you have my sympathy and condolences. It's a tough thing to have to go through, and I hope I never do, myself."

Robert was touched by his concern and swallowed as he fought the sudden urge to break down. "I hope you don't, either," he said, his voice shaky. "I keep thinking that it's all my fault."

Jake patted his left shoulder gently and said, "I understand. But, there are some things that are beyond our control. Oh, here comes Daria."

"If I may, Jake, you don't seem to be bothered by..."

"If Daria trusts you, then I trust you," Jake interrupted him. "She likes you. Considering her standards, that means a lot. That settles it for me." He smiled. "Which reminds me, thank you especially for protecting and taking care of our daughter. We can never repay you fully for what you've done, though we'll try."

Robert blinked and looked at him silently for a few seconds. Then he said, "I'm hoping to find a good job."

Jake smiled at him and said, "Trust me, you'll be in a good job and a good home before you know it."

Daria arrived and handed Robert a bottle of Ultra Cola. "Did you want the other one, Dad?" she asked. "I can share with Robert, if you want one, too."

"Thank you, kiddo," he said and took the offered bottle.

**oooooooooo**

Inside, Helen watched as Jake took the offered bottle and drank. She then saw Robert drink from his bottle. When Daria grabbed the bottle from him and took a drink as well, she gripped the sink and took a deep breath. "No, no, no, no, no."

Then she watched as Daria took Robert's left hand in her right and smiled up at his face. She felt the blood drain from her face as he smiled back at the auburn-haired teen and gripped her hand tightly.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

**oooooooooo**

When Helen came outside, everyone looked at her. Mainly because she yelled something incomprehensible as she rushed through the door. Even the squirrels in the nearby trees stopped their play and stared at the woman.

"Uh, oh," Jane said and smiled. "I think your mom just came unglued."

"Oh, gawd," Quinn said and covered her face with her hands.

Jake, Daria and Robert looked at her as she walked quickly towards them.

"Let go of her hand!" she ordered. "Let go of Daria's hand, right now!"

Robert obeyed, but Daria grabbed his hand again and gripped it tightly. She stared at her mother and moved between her and Robert as the woman rushed towards them.

"Helen, stop it!" Jake said loudly. "Calm down and shut up, right now!"

Helen stopped and looked at her husband in shock.

Robert noticed that not only Helen stared at Jake, but so did everyone else. "I take it he's not usually this...forceful," he whispered to Daria.

"No, he isn't," she replied. "Mom was right. He did surprise me - just not the way she expected, or wanted."

Jake moved up to Helen and said, "Robert is our guest and we will treat him with respect and dignity. Do I make myself clear? He helped Daria out when nobody else could - at the risk of his own safety. I doubt we could ever fully repay him for that."

Robert and Daria moved back slightly and he whispered in her right ear, "Why is your dad treating me like royalty? Did you tell him about my world?"

"No." She shook her head. "Mom said that she wasn't going to, either. I really don't know what's going on, but he likes you, that's obvious."

"I think he also approves of us."

She smiled and laid her head on his left shoulder. "I didn't expect it, but I'm glad."

In the trees behind them, the squirrels continued to watch the humans in action. Their nemesis was present, but he wasn't the one to jump around or yell this time. After several seconds of seeing them talk, they scampered off on other tasks.

**oooooooooo**

The meal went off without a hitch - except for Helen's slow simmer. Jake grilled steaks and burgers and she served everyone silently.

Jake took charge of the conversation and quizzed Robert on what kind of job he wanted to have and whether he wanted a house or an apartment to live in. He also asked about Robert's interests and hobbies.

In fact, the conversation was mostly a three-way one, between Jake, Robert and Daria, with a few words here and there by Jane. Helen gave only one-word answers and Quinn looked somewhat uncomfortable, as she sat within her mother's reach.

**oooooooooo**

After the cookout ended, Daria and Robert walked Jane back to her house.

"Thanks for having me over," Jane said as she led them into the living room. "It was worth it to see your dad tell off your mom."

Daria shook her head. "I have a feeling that the house is going to be really...tense and uncomfortable tonight," she said.

"That's my fault," Robert said. "I'm sorry."

She gripped his left arm and said, "Hey, now, this was my doing, too. If we're going to make this work, we'll have to smooth out the rough spots."

He smiled at her. "Agreed. Shall we go back outside and continue on our walk?"

"Wait a minute!" Jane said. "Remember that instant camera I got last week, Daria?"

"Now, just a minute," Daria said and held up her left hand.

"Oh, hush," Jane said. "Let me take a picture of you two together - as a couple."

Robert nodded and looked at Daria. "I have no problem with that. How about you?"

Daria smiled and said, "I like that, too. O.K., Jane. Go for it."

Jane ran to her room, then came back with the camera. She made them stand outside near the sculpture and prepared herself.

"How do you want us to pose?" he asked.

"Put your arm around her," Jane suggested and he did so. "O.K. Now give Daria a big, wet kiss."

"Jane!" Daria said quickly to the laughter of her friend.

"Stand still, now...that's it...got it!" A print ran out of the machine and they stood around as it developed before their eyes. "Awww, aren't you two the cute couple?"

Daria took the print and said, "I'll keep this. 'Cute couple', my eye."

Jane laughed and said, "Get back in position and I'll take another one for myself."

Robert and Daria moved back beside each other near the sculpture. He put his right arm around her shoulders and she leaned slightly against him, the same pose they did before.

Jane aimed the camera, took the photo and said, "Got it!"

Robert turned to Daria and said, "I need to use the restroom before our walk. How about you?"

She shook her head. "I'll wait with Jane inside for you."

Inside the house, as Jane put up the camera and Robert did his business, Daria walked into Wind's room and looked at Robert's belongings. She picked up his diary, which sat near the bed. "I need to talk with you about this," she said quietly, then pocketed the book.

As she walked back to the living room, she looked at the picture again. _I really do like this_. She smiled and placed the photo in the pocket with the diary.

Jane smiled at her and asked, "Admiring the scenery?"

"What?"

"I thought you were peeking in the bathroom, Daria."

Daria crossed her arms over her chest and asked, "Where do you keep your tools, Jane? I need a hammer for a minute or two."

Jane laughed and Robert walked in the room.

"Did I miss something?" he asked.

"Oh, Jane just tried to be funny and failed," Daria said. "Are you ready now?"

"Yes, I am." He looked at Jane. "We'll be back in a little bit. Have to walk off that steak and the burgers."

"Be good, you two," Jane said and waved as the two stepped outside and continued their walk, hand in hand.

**oooooooooo**

Quinn took Jake's credit card (at his suggestion), then took off quickly to catch her friends at the mall. She didn't want to be near her mother when the explosion finally came.

Jake and Helen, however, stayed behind to clean up after the meal. Nothing was said as they worked, but he could feel the anger radiating out from her.

Finally, she stopped in front of him and said, "Jake, what in the hell happened out here today? What were you doing with Robert? Having a mutual admiration society meeting?"

"Helen..." he started to say.

"He is fourteen years older than Daria and you virtually threw her into his arms," she interrupted him. "What is he is some sociopathic pedophile? What if he's..."

Jake put his right hand over her mouth and said, "Come with me."

She pulled his hand off of her mouth and glared at him through narrowed eyes. "Oh, this better be good, Jacob Morgendorffer."

"We have nothing to fear from Robert," he said and led her into the house.

"You told me to 'shut up' in front of everyone!"

He stopped at the stairway. "You came close to screwing up everything. It was the only way I could think of to stop you."

"Screwing up what?" Helen asked her voice loud. "He's too old for Daria!"

He led her upstairs and into their bedroom. Then he moved to a cabinet and searched his videotape collection.

As he searched the tapes, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Jake, I do not have time to see one of your silly shows - or some 'sexy' film in some lame attempt to apologize to me."

Jake turned to look at her quickly. "Do you _really_ want to know what's happening here?"

"Yes, I do," she said, "and I already know more about it than you."

"Good," he replied. "Then you can explain why you didn't tell me that Robert's family was killed by zombies - on an alternate Earth."

Helen paled and steadied herself by grabbing the nearby dresser. "Daria talked to you," she finally said.

"No, she didn't," he said and pulled out a tape. "Neither did Robert. Here it is. I saw this several months ago, after I had taped it at my office."

"What? What did you see?"

He held up the tape. "An episode of _The Outer Limits_. In fact, it was one of my favorite episodes." He led her to the bed, sat her down and set up the TV and VCR for the show.

Helen stood back up and asked, "Is this going to take long? I really don't have the time for this."

Jake turned back and pointed at the bed. "Sit down!" he ordered her. "If you really want to know about Robert and calm your fears for Daria, then you _will_ sit down and watch this with me."

She looked at him, saw how serious he was and sat down. He started the tape and moved beside her on the bed.

"Trust me, Helen, things will be all right. In the end, this will work out."

"What if Robert gets Daria pregnant? What will we do then?"

"He won't."

"How do you know this?" she asked.

"Watch the tape."

The film showed a man as he walked down the center of a street, in what was apparently a dead city. Buildings looked abandoned and/or badly damaged. Many cars were abandoned in the street, and some were wrecked. Lawns were overgrown and neglected.

The man himself wore a thick coat with a hood, even though the green of the leaves and the bright sunshine indicated that it was summertime.

The skeletal remains of a human laid near the front of one car. Wild animals of some sort had separated the bones in a spread out direction of several feet.

The man ignored the remains and looked around carefully. He stood in front of what had once been a restaurant.

The sound of an animal whine could be heard and the man pulled off his coat hood, then removed what looked like a chain mail hood as well.

Helen's mouth dropped open and she gawked at the television. "That's Robert!" she said quickly.

"Yes, it is," he said.

On the TV, "Robert" looked behind a rusted dumpster and found a very terrified and emaciated beagle. "Hello there, boy," he said quietly and held out his hands. "Come here. I won't hurt you. Come on."

The dog cautiously sniffed one of his outstretched hand for several seconds, then came to him.

He carefully picked up the dog and carried him away.

Helen sat in stunned silence as the show progressed. Most of the dialogue was Robert talking as the narrator, except the flashbacks of his life before the disaster - and the experiences with Lauren and Janelle."

"You taped this off of TV?" Helen asked as she watched the scenes of Robert and Lauren together.

"It's on Showtime," he said. "They cut it up when it ends up on The Sci-Fi Channel later."

Then there were the people from "the other place" and Robert tried to figure out what was happening. His encounters with Kay Daniels and Billy Smithson were played out - with different names. Their deaths and eventual reanimations were also played out.

After the scene with Billy's death, Helen asked, "Why couldn't he have just waited at that place until the next one showed up? He could have saved both Kelly and Bart before they were even bitten."

"It's not safe outside his shelter," Jake answered. "The zombies are everywhere in this place - in fact, they're all over his world. Pay attention to the next scene. It's important."

The next scene centered on the next person from "the other place." A teen girl, dressed in an orange pullover, black pleated skirt, green jacket, Doc Martens and glasses suddenly appeared on the sidewalk and looked around. A book bag was in place on her shoulders and she looked bewildered.

The camera centered on the girl's face and Helen gasped. "That's Daria!"

"When I first saw this, I thought it was just an uncanny resemblance," Jake said. "But when I saw Robert with her in the yard today, everything on this show came back to me. I realized right then that what happened on this show _really_ happened - on Robert's world."

On the TV, the girl walked down the streets until her encounter with the zombies.

"Run, Daria!" Helen cried out as the girl froze. "Don't just stand there! Run!"

Then Robert ran up in time. Daria dropped as he shot one zombie after another and was nearly bitten himself. His run - with her on his shoulder - and their small talk during a rest was shown as well.

The episode ended as the couple reached his shelter and he introduced himself and she identified herself as "Anne Dorffman".

"Anne," Jake said. "Daria's middle name."

The last words, however, was in Robert's narration. "I finally saved one. She's a pretty girl - and also scared - but maybe together, we can figure out how she got here and how to get her back. But if she's stuck here for good, then I'll take care of her - along with Buster."

Jake shut off the tape and looked at Helen. "This episode won a Hugo award and they made a sequel. I saw it when it first aired, but the timer on my VCR got shut off that day. It should be repeated sometime soon and we can watch it when I get it taped. That episode dealt with Robert's and Anne's adventures on his world - and their trip to _her_ world. He met Anne's family and had a picnic with them."

"What about Robert and Daria?" she asked. "What are we going to do?"

"Nothing," Jake said. "Anything we do to interfere will only mess up things. Helen, we have to let this play out, for things to work out. Please, trust me on this one."

Her response was to hug Jake and hold him tight against her. "I'm afraid, Jake, and I don't like that feeling."

"Just trust me on this one, Helen. Things _will_ work out for the best."

**oooooooooo**

As the couple walked, the sounds of some church hymn played on bell chimes could be heard from somewhere in the distance.

"I missed those sounds," he said. "In Fostoria, there was a church that played that kind of thing every weekday at four."

"I tend to ignore it, myself," she said. "But it is pleasant sounding."

Daria wrapped her right arm in Robert's left arm then and looked at his face briefly.

He smiled at her and she returned his smile, then looked forward as they walked.

"You started to say _something_ before we stepped into the light yesterday," she said.

He said nothing for a couple of seconds, then replied, "I know."

"I know what it was, Robert," she said. "I'm sorry, but I can't say that to you - not yet."

"I kind of jumped the gun a little bit," he said. "I'm sorry if it put pressure on you. It's just that I thought I was about to die then. That's really lame, I know, for those to be my last words."

She turned her head slightly to the right and looked at his face. "What would you have preferred to be your last words, then?"

"'Are you saying that coconuts migrate?'"

Daria stopped and he stopped with her. She shook her head and covered her eyes with her left hand.

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked.

In response, she laughed and covered her mouth. After a couple of seconds, she asked, "What's wrong with 'I've come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubble gum'?"

Robert smiled at her and said, "Not a thing. In fact, that's even better."

Daria blinked and looked into his eyes. She exhaled, then moved her face to his and kissed him quickly.

He smiled and returned her kiss. Then they walked on down the sidewalk.

As they passed an empty lot, a well-groomed dark-haired man in a conservative business suit and dark, reflective sunglasses stepped out in front of them. At the same time, a blonde-haired woman, also in a conservative business suit and dark, reflective sunglasses came towards them from their right.

"Robert..." Daria said and gripped his arm tightly.

Robert moved to put himself between the two and Daria.

Then to their left, a tall black man, dressed totally in white, walked towards them with the aid of a cane. He and the others stopped in a semi-circle around the couple and each of them held up identification cards.

"Department of Homeland Security," the black man said and smiled. "I believe you know why we're here."

"What are your names?" Daria asked. "Tell us who you are!"

The woman smiled and said, "Call me Valkyrie."

The white man didn't smile, but said, "Tiberius."

The black man smiled and said, "Call me Archangel."

Daria bit her lower lip and dug her nails into Robert's upper left arm. The sounds of the bell chimes continued as she pressed against him and closed her eyes.


	19. Reset

**19. Reset**

Robert smiled at the man who called himself Archangel. He put his left arm around Daria and said, "I'm glad to meet you folks. My name is...Tom Jones, and this is my friend, Mary Ann Summers. If you'll excuse us, we have to go to Vegas right now." He started to lead Daria away from them.

"Tom Jones?" Tiberius said, his expression skeptical. "That's an odd name to choose."

"Oh, it's not unusual," Robert said as he and Daria moved.

"Mr. 'Jones'," Archangel said and the two stopped. "You are not from this Earth - we _do_ know it and can prove it. I would just as soon handle this amicably and with as little fuss as possible. But if you two do not cooperate with us, then Valkyrie and Tiberius will restrain you - and that can be painful. Then you _will_ cooperate with us."

Daria kept her grip tight on Robert as she looked at the three agents. "What do you want with us?" she asked. "We're just a plain, ordinary couple going about our plain, ordinary business. We aren't harming anyone."

"There is little plain or ordinary about someone who isn't from your Earth, Miss," Archangel said. "You do not belong here...Robert."

Daria winced then. _Good one, Morgendorffer. Say his name in front of government agents._

Valkyrie then crossed her arms over her chest and said, "We've been to your Earth, Mr. 'Jones'. It's pretty messed up."

Robert looked at Daria and asked, "Did you know that this 'Department of Homeland Security' had the ability to travel between universes?"

"First time I've heard of it," she said.

"That shouldn't be much of a surprise to you," Tiberius said. "After all, if our readings are right, and they are, then both of you have done it, as well, in the last twenty-four hours."

"That is the main reason we're here," Archangel said. "The machine you two used to travel between the two Earths. Where is it?"

Neither one said anything right away and Valkyrie moved slightly closer. "Look," she said, "we can appreciate the scientific knowledge that went into building the device. But travel between universes can and does cause problems. In the wrong hands, such a machine can be - and has been - a horrible weapon. Now, where is your device?"

"It's not 'our' device," Daria said. "I was sent to the other Earth without my consent. That was Dr. Stone's doing."

"Dr. Stone?" all three agents asked at once.

"He's the one who started all this." Daria blushed and asked, "You know that I was sent to another Earth? How?"

Tiberius held up a device that resembled a portable radio. "Modern technology," he said. "Your signature matches that of this Earth, though you have fading traces of another signature. That signature matches your friend's."

"How do I even know that you three are even from this Earth and not another one?" Daria asked.

"Daria," Robert said and patted her hand.

"I'm serious, Robert. How do we even know you three are for real?"

Archangel sighed and said, "Whether you believe us or not, it is our job to keep cross-dimensional contamination to a minimum. It is also our job to eliminate the threat of what is called 'Extinction Level Events' as best as we can. Robert's world has been overrun with zombies, and unless we intervene, what happened on his Earth can spread to others."

"If we give you all of Stone's stuff, can we go on our way?" Daria asked.

"It's not that simple, I'm afraid," Archangel said.

"You have to go back to your own world, Robert," Tiberius said.

"There's nothing on that world to go back to," Robert replied. "It's dead to me - and if you send me back there, then I'll be dead, too."

Tiberius moved towards him, but Archangel held up his hand. The younger agent stopped and the black man turned towards Robert. "We can 'fix' your world, Robert. We can go back in time to right before the zombie crisis exploded - and by helping our counterparts there - end it quickly, with a minimal loss of life. You can have your life back - and your family, too."

Robert paled and nearly stumbled, but Daria gripped him and helped him to stay steady. "Why would you do this for me?" he asked. "No government agency is that...that..."

"Benevolent," Daria said.

"Thank you, Daria. I couldn't remember the word."

For the first time, the smile left Archangel's face. "For your information, this has nothing to do with 'benevolence' or some happy, glad-handing shit that some politicians promise their constituents. This is about security, plain and simple." He looked at Daria. "You were right, young lady, we aren't from _your_ Earth, either. However, we are still U.S. Government employees and we have a job to do."

"Do you always have to 'fix' Earths when you encounter zombies?" Robert asked.

"No," Valkyrie said. "With a Class I or II event, or even a Class III event, it's easier to supply our counterparts with the latest in weaponry, if they don't already have it, and to help them eliminate the threat. _Your_ world suffered a Class IV event - and that's only the second one we've ever come across."

Robert blinked and stood there as what she said sunk in. Then he shook his head. "Why didn't you show up on my world a lot earlier?" he asked. "If you were able to help those other worlds, then why didn't you help us when we really needed it?"

"We were unaware of your world," Archangel said, "until the repeated 'transports' performed by this Stone person. Robert, the multiverse is a big place - with an infinite number of universes - and we're only aware of...a limited number, so far."

"You said that there was another world that suffered a Class IV event," Daria said. "Did you reset it?"

The three agents looked at each other, then Valkyrie said, "No. We found it probably a century after it had happened. In order to do a reset, we have to know exactly when the crisis started. Failing that, we need to be able to find historical records of some sort. There were none that mentioned the crisis. There were no humans, either, except for skeletal remains. The animal kingdom on that world is still recovering, but it is returning."

"How do you know that they suffered a zombie crisis?" Robert asked.

"Lab work on the remains," Tiberius said. He looked at Robert and said, "We need to talk with you and find out how you survived. We were able to find some of our counterparts on your Earth. They're barely holding their own, but we were able to find out when the crisis started. We can reset your world, but we still need your story. Anything you can help us with can help people in the future survive. It could even help Daria's world in the future, if they were to suffer such a crisis."

"If you can reset this, what about my memories of what I've been through?" Robert asked. "Will I remember any of this?"

"It wouldn't have happened," Valkyrie said. "Your life will have gone on without the effects of the crisis. Your memories will be more like a dream than anything."

Robert blinked and sighed. "I don't know what to say."

Daria looked up at him and thought, _I'm going to lose you. _She bit her lip and kept her grip on his arm.

Archangel motioned to his right. "If you two would come with us," he said. "This will take awhile."

Daria and Robert were taken to a large recreational vehicle by the agents.

**oooooooooo**

As they arrived at the Lane house, Daria turned to look at Valkyrie. "You guys knew the machine was here, didn't you?" she asked.

The agent nodded and smiled. "It's easier if you take us in to get it," she said. "I really don't like to bust into people's homes with guns drawn. It gets the wrong kind of attention."

"I can imagine," Daria said as she left the vehicle with Valkyrie and Tiberius. "Interesting code names, by the way."

"They serve a purpose," the male agent said. "Despite what you may think, this isn't play acting."

"Whatever." Daria knocked on the front door, but nobody answered. She looked at the agents and said, "They must be out. We'll have to wait for them to return."

"Not really," the female agent said. She took a device from her suit jacket pocket, touched it to the door; it unlocked and opened slightly.

"How did you do that?" Daria asked.

The agent pocketed the device, opened the door wider, smiled at her and said, "Modern technology. Take us to the machine."

Daria led them into the house.

**oooooooooo**

In the RV, now parked in the Food Lord parking lot, the three agents looked over the device that Stone used to transport Daria and the others to Robert's world. "Unbelievably primitive," Archangel said. "How he even got it to work is beyond me."

"These notes are strange," Tiberius said as he looked over Stone's papers. "It's as though he was...compelled to build this."

The three agents looked at the box warily, then at each other. Valkyrie said, her voice shaky, "You don't think..."

"No," Archangel said quickly. "He couldn't have. It's impossible."

Daria and Robert looked at the agents and noticed their reaction to Stone's machine. They looked at each other in confusion, and she asked, "What? What's wrong?"

The black agent looked at them, forced a smile on his face and said, "It's O.K. It's just that this device is potentially dangerous."

"In what way?" Robert asked.

"It could have exploded during the transport," Archangel said, "or even sent you to a worse place than your original Earth. With this, it's hard to tell." He turned to Tiberius and said, "Put this in the Conex container - carefully - and make sure it's secure. Put all of his notes together and then you and Valkyrie can get everyone some sandwiches. We'll eat lunch, then go to this Stone person's house."

"We don't know where he lives," Daria said.

Tiberius held up his scanner and said, "We do. What we don't know is if he's there. If he knows he's being looked for, he could be even more dangerous than his machine."

"He's probably dead," Robert said. "We sent him to my world."

"What?" the agents said in unison.

Daria blushed and Robert kept his gaze forward as he said, "Knowing about the people he killed for his experiments, we gave him a taste of his own medicine."

"All the people he's killed?" the younger male agent and looked at his counterparts.

Archangel turned to Valkyrie and said, "Let's get to his house first. I have a bad feeling about this."

"What?" Daria asked. "What do you mean?"

The black man looked at her and said, "If he was _compelled_ to build this...machine, and he's killed people in his experiments...then God alone knows what else he's done. Your world may be in danger right now, Daria. If it is, then we're the point team to stop it." He cleared his throat. "If we can."

The female agent drove off while being directed by Tiberius on where to go.

As the vehicle moved down the road, Daria moved next to Robert and laid her head on his left shoulder. He moved his arm around her and rubbed her left arm. "I'm scared," she whispered.

He kissed her forehead, then when she looked up at him, he kissed her lips gently. "I'm here," he whispered back. "It'll be O.K."

**oooooooooo**

Stone's house was a three-story brick home set back off the street in an older section of Lawndale. While the RV slowly cruised by on the street, Archangel aimed a high-powered microphone at the house and listened on headphones. "I don't hear any talking," he said. "But there's people in there moving around. At least three, maybe more."

"They aren't talking?" Valkyrie asked and glanced back at him. "Not even one or two words?"

"All I hear are grunts and moans."

Robert sat up, suddenly alert, and the three agents noticed his reaction. "Grunts and moans?" he asked.

Archangel nodded.

Robert then made grunting and moaning sounds. "Like that?" he asked and the black man nodded again.

"Oh, shit! Here I am without my weapons and you folks look unarmed, too."

"What?" Valkyrie and Tiberius asked at the same time.

Robert stood up and said, "Those sounds are the sounds that zombies make as they move around. When they see...prey, the moans get louder and more agitated."

"Remember what you told me back on your world," Daria said. "What if he brought zombies onto my world?"

Archangel turned off the microphone and nodded at Valkyrie. She turned the RV in the driveway and pulled up to the house.

Then the senior agent turned to Robert. "We _are _armed, Robert, and able to take care of ourselves."

"Give me a high-powered pistol and I can help you," Robert said.

The three agents looked at him, smiles on their faces.

"What?" he asked.

In response, the agents all held up items that looked like sci-fi toys. "Pistols make a lot of noise," Tiberius said. "These do not. Modern technology. What setting, Archangel?"

"Seven. All head shots - make them count. Put on body armor, too."

As the agents donned odd-looking body armor, Robert said, "Reminds me of the chain mail I wore on my world."

"This is lighter," Archangel replied. "It's also quieter and more...effective, plus has a few good surprises in it. Any advice you can give us right now would be appreciated."

Robert thought and said, "They're very good at working together when they chase a victim. All bites are fatal - and scratches are, too." He tapped the base of his skull, near the top of his backbone. "You have to destroy this area, or you won't stop them."

"You mean that a simple head-shot isn't effective?" Valkyrie asked.

Robert shook his head. "I've seen too many revive after being shot through the top of the head," he said. "I can give you backup - if you arm me."

"You haven't been trained with this," Archangel said. "But you can keep watch near the door while we're inside."

"Have you got a crowbar or something heavy?" Robert asked. "I am good with those."

"He's not lying about that," Daria said and shuddered. "I've seen him use one before."

**oooooooooo**

Robert stood outside the RV beside Daria, a tire iron in his right hand. Archangel looked at the couple and said, "Do not come in the house unless one of us comes out to get you. Let us do what we've been trained to do." He looked at Valkyrie and said, "Do it."

The blonde agent opened the door the same way she did at the Lane household and the door opened.

To Daria it was like watching a police show, with the blonde on one side of the door and the younger agent on the other side, while the black man waited behind the woman.

The man called Tiberius pushed open the door and a loud moan sounded from inside the house.

"They know we're here," Robert said and hefted his tire iron.

Valkyrie nodded at Tiberius and the young man went inside the doorway. She followed and Archangel followed her a couple of seconds later. He still used his walking cane as he moved.

A couple of seconds later, the two outside could hear weird, hissing sounds, then the sound of a body as it hit the floor.

Inside the house's kitchen, Tiberius stepped over the body, a man with distinctive blue-gray color to his skin and moved on inside the house, followed by his partners.

On the other side of a closed door, a scratching sound could be heard and Valkyrie aimed her weapon at it. "Open it," she said and Tiberius quickly opened the door then stepped back.

A female zombie rushed into the room and turned to the younger agent. Before she could reach him, the blonde fired her weapon with a hiss and the head disintegrated.

The room had been a bedroom at one time. Inside it, seven zombies sat around one corner as they fed on what had once been a living person. They ignored the agents at the doorway and continued to eat. Tiberius stood guard outside the room as Archangel and Valkyrie moved into the room; the two leveled their weapons and began firing.

**oooooooooo**

Archangel appeared at the door a few minutes later and said, "You can come in if you want - but it's a real mess. There were nine zombies in here. Apparently this Stone person was creating his own zombies. I have no idea why - yet."

Daria grabbed Robert's left arm and said, "We'll wait here." When he looked at her, his eyes raised, she said, "Please."

"O.K.," Robert said and waited with her.

**oooooooooo**

Daria was amazed that the agents could easily eat their sandwiches after what had happened. As they ate, they questioned the two, especially Robert, on their experiences in Fostoria. She and Robert also ate, but she felt that this was going to be her last meal with him.

They ignored Daria's questions on how Stone created his zombies, however. But they took copious notes, as well as digital recordings, of the interview.

She looked at Robert and he glanced at her. _It really figures, _she thought. _Just when I find somebody and we hit it off, I lose him. It's so unfair._

Robert smiled at her and winked. She smiled and looked down.

**oooooooooo**

As the interview came to an end, Archangel looked at them and said, "It's time to do the reset. You'll go first, Robert, then we'll reset Daria's world."

_Not now, _Daria thought. "Can we have a few minutes alone?" she asked quickly. "Please?"

Tiberius shook his head and stood up. "We don't have time for this non--"

Archangel grabbed the younger agent's right arm in a firm grip - it made Tiberius wince - and said, "Come on, 'emperor', lets go outside and stretch our legs." He stood up and looked at Daria and Robert. "Take your time." They left the RV.

Valkyrie lingered slightly and said, "We'll be just outside. Knock when you're ready for us to come back in." Then she stepped outside with the others.

Robert pulled Daria to him and wrapped his arms around her. For the next several minutes, they sat there in their silent embrace.

Daria felt her eyes water up, but held it in and closed them tightly. She said to Robert, her voice quiet, "You started to say something to me before we stepped into the light yesterday."

A small smile appeared on his face and he closed his own eyes as a tear ran down his left cheek. "I know," he said.

"Tell me now," she said. "Please. Even if it's not really true yet, tell me, anyway."

He kissed her forehead and said, "I love you, Daria Morgendorffer."

Her chin quivered and she took a deep breath. "This is so damned unfair," she said, her voice a mutter.

"Life is unfair, Daria," he whispered. "You know that."

She looked up at his face through tear-blurred eyes, blinked and said, "Look at me." He did so and said, "The way they talked, you won't have any memories of me - or our time together."

"Actually, they said it might seem like a dream to me," he said. "Some dreams I've had seemed unbelievably real. One time, I dreamed that I had a chest full of gold. To this day, I can see the gold coins fall out of my hands as I pulled them out of the chest." He sighed. "I have wondered, more than once, if some of my 'dreams' were actually pieces of reality that were...reset by some powerful force. Looks like I just got my answer."

He then smiled at Daria. "I hope my memories of our time together will seem like that dream."

"That wouldn't be fair to Maggie," Daria said quickly.

"That illustrates my dilemma, Daria. If I choose you, I betray Maggie and the kids. If I choose them, I betray you."

"There's nothing to betray here, Robert. You and I haven't even had a week together yet. You and Maggie had a decade together - maybe even longer. She was the winner before there was even a competition." She moved slightly and kissed his neck. "Besides, from the way they talk, neither of us really have a choice in this matter."

"It still hurts like hell," he said and moved his face to hers. "I will say this, Daria, and it is the truth. I would have loved you - eventually. I was looking forward to our first Christmas together - and our first Valentine's Day." He sighed. "The scary thing is what if they're lying about the reset? What if they put me down in the middle of a group of zombies back home? My dream last night could be an omen of things to come."

She moved closer to him and kissed him. His words stopped and he held her still as they kissed. When she broke the kiss, she said quickly, "You are a survivor, Robert Nelson. Don't think like that - don't talk like that. Your old life will return and you will be...be where you belong."

Then they kissed some more.

After several minutes, they stopped kissing, but remained in an embrace. "I have a confession to make," she said.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I read your diary."

Robert chuckled and kissed the side of her face. "I thought so," he said. "I suspected it when you kept questioning me about Lauren and Janelle. When you bought the red velvet cake, it clinched it." He ran his right hand over her back. "I also have a confession to make."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I really liked it when I got to touch your legs."

Daria smiled and looked up at him. "And here I thought you liked me for my wit and charisma."

Then they kissed some more.

**oooooooooo**

Nearly a half-hour later, Robert moved to the spot in the middle of the RV's interior , as he was directed.

Archangel approached him and shook his hand. "Thank you for your assistance, Mr. Nelson," he said. "The information you provided us with will help us in fighting zombies - wherever we encounter them."

"A pity I won't remember it," Robert said, his voice slightly sarcastic.

"That can't be helped," Valkyrie said.

The black man moved to Daria and shook her hand as well. "Thank you for your assistance, as well, Miss Morgendorffer."

Daria looked confused. "I'm not the zombie expert that Robert is," she said.

"I'm referring to the fact that you two aren't fighting this."

"I'm not happy about it," the teen admitted, "but if Robert can have his family back, then it's worth it." She moved up to her soon-to-be former companion and held up her left hand towards the agents. "Please, wait a few seconds."

Tiberius looked irritated and Valkyrie rolled her eyes, but Archangel said, "Go ahead, but this is the last time, young lady."

"O.K." She embraced Robert tightly and laid her head on his left shoulder. "You take good care of Maggie and your children," she said, her voice a whisper. "Be the best husband and father that you can be."

"You make sure that you take that self-defense course," he replied and returned her embrace. "We could have made a good team, Daria."

"I know, Robert, I know." They kissed one last time, then Daria moved back beside the agents.

When Archangel pressed the button, Robert sighed and vanished.

Daria's shoulders slumped and she looked down at the floor. "Well, when is it--" She vanished as well.

**oooooooooo**

"O.K., why did you skip out of class?" Daria Morgendorffer asked as she and her best friend, Jane Lane, walked down the street.

"Ah...Ms. Li had me in the office for awhile," Jane replied, her expression blank.

Daria stared at her silently for several seconds as they walked, and closed her eyes.

Jane stopped and looked at Daria. "_Amiga_, what's wrong?"

"We've done this before," the smaller teen said.

The brunette blinked and nodded, "Now that you mention it, we _have _done this before. You were going to ask about hidden porn in my locker, then say something about painting smiley faces on the security camera lenses."

Daria opened her eyes, looked down at the sidewalk and said, "Robert."

Jane paled and said, "Oh, hell, that really happened. I thought I dreamed it. Wait a minute! How did we end up back here again?"

Daria swallowed and shook her head as she thought over all that had happened. "Government agents - they came and took Stone's machine and all his stuff. They questioned Robert over what his world was like." She touched her forehead and took a deep breath. "Then they sent him back to his world. Then they sent us back in time."

"They sent him back? To a dead world?"

Daria bit her lower lip and briefly closed her eyes. Then she said, "They claimed that they could fix his world - bring back his family." She sighed. "I hope they weren't lying about that."

"Does that mean that we'll have to deal with Stone again?"

"No. They said that they'll...take care of him." She took another deep breath. "Shit."

Jane lightly touched Daria's shoulder and the smaller teen looked at her, a sad expression on her face. "Why don't we go get a pizza? It might make us feel better."

"I just want to go home and go to my room," Daria said and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Jane, I just don't feel like being out right now." She then turned and walked on down the sidewalk.

Nearly a minute later, she passed Trent on the sidewalk, but said nothing.

"Hey, Daria," he said and she stopped and looked at him. "Why aren't you with Jane? Is something wrong?"

"Do you remember what happened?" she asked. "Do you remember Robert?"

Trent blinked and stared at the teen. "Whoa. I thought that was a dream."

"It really happened, Trent," Daria said. "But we're the only ones who'll remember it." She turned and walked off, her gaze on the sidewalk as she moved.

Trent watched her disappear down the sidewalk.

"Hey, bro," Jane said from behind him.

He looked around at his sister and asked, "What happened?"

"The government got involved," she said. "They sent Robert back to his world and moved us back in time."

"What about that scientist guy? Won't we run into him again?"

Jane shook her head. "Apparently, they got him, too."

"You think Daria will be O.K.?"

The girl blinked and shrugged. "I hope so."

**oooooooooo**

In her bedroom, Daria laid on her bed fully dressed as she stared at the ceiling. She blinked on occasion and every so often, lightly shook her head.

She didn't know how much time had passed, but when her door was opened, the sun had set. She heard her mother ask, "Daria, are you O.K.?"

"I'm fine, Mom," she said, her voice a monotone.

"How did your day go at school?"

Daria lifted her head, looked at her and asked, "Do you remember the cookout?"

"That's been several months ago, sweetie. I think it was October. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. I just wanted to know if you remembered." She laid her head back down and closed her eyes.

Helen looked at Daria for several seconds, then stepped out of the room as her cell phone rang.

**oooooooooo**

It was the next morning when Quinn came downstairs as Jake finished his coffee. Daria had left earlier and told nobody where she was headed. "Oh, I'm glad I caught you, Daddy," she said. "I need to go to the mall today and meet the rest of the Fashion Club there."

Jake looked at her and said, "You know, Quinn, I've been thinking that a cookout would be real nice today."

The redhead laughed and shook her head. "I can't do that today, Daddy. I really have to go to the mall."

"Oh, well, I can drop you off," he said. "That's no problem."

"I'm glad," she said. "Can I also borrow your credit card?"

He looked at her briefly and said, "I have to stop by my office first. If you help me there, I'll let you have the card."

A small frown appeared on Quinn's face, but she said, "Sure, I'll help you if it won't take too long."

**oooooooooo**

At Jake's office, he said, "I want you to go through my magazines and pull out any that are more than three months old. I'll buy some new ones today. Got to keep my magazines current."

"You need better magazines, too, Daddy," she said. "Like _Waif_ or _Savvy Teen_."

Jake laughed. "My customers don't read those magazines, Quinn. I'll be right back. I have to see John McGruder at his sandwich shop about his account."

When he left, Quinn picked up one magazine. "Ewww! _Field and Stream_. Oh, my goodness, _Branding Today_. Those poor cows!"

Jake's office had a TV and videocassette recorder set up in a corner. When the VCR kicked on, Quinn looked at it for several seconds. "Well, might as well see what's on while I do this," she said and turned on the set.

She gathered several magazines and checked the dates as the show played. She looked at the man on the set and stared at him briefly. _Looks familiar, _she thought. _Wonder what show he's been on?_

Then she saw the teen female lead and gawked. _Gawd! That looks like Daria. Except she's dressed better._

The action showed the couple surviving on a world full of zombies and then somehow traveling to the teen's world. The two had dinner with two of the teen's friends, then they became a couple. As they held hands, Quinn said, "He needs to, like, get better clothes."

Then the next scene showed the man meeting the teen's parents and her younger redhead sister. _She looks good, _Quinn thought, _but those shoes totally do not match her top._

The episode continued with government agents stopping the couple, sending the man back to his world and resetting the time on the teen's world. Except the teen remembered everything and was sad. "Poor girl," Quinn muttered.

The episode ended with the teen's younger sister watching everything on TV - in her father's office. The girl on the TV started to turn around, stopped, then turned off the TV.

The credits came on and Quinn froze, her face pale. _This has happened before. But when? _She started to turn around, but stopped. No. _Don't do it._

Quinn lifted the remote control and turned off the TV.

_Executive Producer - Frank Robertson_


	20. Epilogue 1 Resolution

**20. Epilogue 1 - Resolution**

Robert suddenly found himself surrounded by zombies. _Oh, hell, _he thought. _I was afraid of this._

The zombies were as much surprised as he was. Before they could go on the attack, he ran through them towards an empty street. But as he passed one zombie, however, it grabbed his left forearm with a gnarled hand and jerked him back.

Before he could even respond, the zombie bit into the captured arm just below the elbow and tore away a chunk of flesh.

Robert was too shocked to even cry out; he shoved the dead man back, grabbed a nearby stick and quickly gouged out its eyes. As the zombie waved its arms around, he thought savagely, _At least you'll spend the rest of your undead existence blind, you bastard. _Then he ran on.

When he reached an empty lot, he move under a maple tree and looked at his wounded arm. _I'm dead, _he thought and choked back a sob. _I wish Daria was here with me._

To his surprise, he felt mostly calm as he quickly searched his pockets for something - anything - he could use. As he searched, he felt his keys, his wallet and his pocket knife.

Then, in the left pocket of his jacket, he found one grenade. He sighed. _One thing left for me to do._

Robert Nelson walked out to where the zombie crowd could see him. Their moans became more excited and they moved _en masse _towards him. He pulled the pin on the grenade and dropped it. Then the spoon released and he ran at them as fast as he could.

He remembered the chant his team did when they ran onto the football field and smiled. _WHO ARE WE? THE FALCONS! WHAT ARE WE? UNBEATABLE! WHO ARE--_

**oooooooooo**

"Daddy! Daddy! Mommy said to wake up!"

Suddenly Robert Nelson felt a weight on his belly and looked up at a little boy who sat atop him. After a brief moment of frightened hesitation, he sat up and the boy fell to the bed and laughed. "Don't sit on my belly, Scotty," he said and smiled. "Or else, I'll have to rough your butt up."

Robert felt a tug on one of his toes and looked down at a smaller boy. "O.K., Jacob, what about you?"

"Mommy made chocolate chip pancakes, eggs and bacon," the smaller boy said and stuck his right index finger in his mouth. "She said that you need to eat so we can go to the rummage sales."

The father grabbed the bigger boy and tucked him under his left arm. "You ready to go rummaging, boy?" he asked.

Scotty's response was to laugh.

A small girl walked into the room and held out a piece of paper to Robert. "Daddy, I draw you a drawing."

"Why, thank you, Tammy." He released Scotty and he ran out of the room, followed by Jacob. Robert then took the picture and looked at the drawing of a man, a woman and a dog. The man had an "S" on his chest, the woman wore glasses and the dog appeared to be a beagle. A sudden chill went through him and he blinked. "What...who are these people?"

"One of them's a dog, Daddy," the girl said calmly.

He rolled his eyes. _Out of the mouths of babes..._ "Uh, huh. But, who are they?"

The little girl sat beside him and said, "Well, you're Superman and you saved the woman and the dog from...monsters."

Robert blinked again and he stared at the drawing. Just like that dream. He looked down at the girl, then at the drawing again. Something about this is...odd.

Tammy smiled up at him, held out her arms and said, "I love oo, Daddy."

He hugged her quickly, closed his eyes and tears ran down his cheeks.

After a minute, a woman's voice said, "Hey, loverboy, you O.K.?"

Robert released the little girl and said, "Thanks for the picture, Tammy. You go on and let me talk to Mommy."

The little girl walked out of the room as the father got up and hugged the woman.

"What's the matter, Robert? Why are you crying?"

He kissed the left side of her neck and said, "It was one of those dreams, Maggie. I had another one."

"Another bad one?" she asked.

"Parts of it was," he said and broke the hug. He wiped his eyes and added, "Other parts were...strange. Time travel, teleportation."

The brunette looked at the picture he held and asked, "Who are they?"

Robert smiled and said, "Apparently, I'm Superman and this is a woman and a dog that I saved from monsters. At least, that's what Tammy said."

Maggie nodded and kissed her husband. "Well, you're my Superman and you better watch it on rescuing other women, bub."

They laughed as they left the bedroom.

**oooooooooo**

In the dining room, Robert's breakfast plate held a stack of chocolate chip pancakes, several strips of bacon and a small mound of scrambled eggs. He also had a large glass of milk and a small glass of orange juice with it.

"Lauren and Janelle are coming over," Maggie said as she sat down across from him.

"That's good," he said as he bit off and ate some bacon.

She stared at him in silence for several seconds, then said, "You amaze me sometimes, Robert."

"Oh?" he asked and took a large drink of milk.

"Yes, you do. You agreed to a promise that I made two years ago when I was dead drunk. I always thought you just tolerated my friends and deep down, didn't like them."

"Well, you thought wrong," he said.

"Not always, Robert Nelson. I haven't always been wrong and you know it. What changed?"

He sat there briefly, then said, "Sure, those two can be obnoxious and tend to get on my nerves. But I do care about them. I don't care whether they're bisexuals, Martians or left-handed Norwegians. What I realized was that they liked me. They just also like to pick on me."

"Well, duh. So do I."

"They've been in some of my dreams," he said suddenly.

"You never told me that before," she said, her expression surprised. "What about me or the kids? Were we in your dreams, too?"

"I'm not sure. I think you guys were dead in them. But Janelle saved my life in one dream - with a rather powerful machine gun."

"Of course. That's definitely Janelle."

"Then they moved to Montana and I was alone...except for...I can't remember. It was an animal of some sort."

Just then, a knock on the kitchen door got their attention. Maggie moved to it and let in two women.

One was a chunky brunette with long hair who carried a baby wrapped in a blanket. The other was a thin blonde who carried a diaper bag.

"We were just talking about you two," Maggie said.

"What?" the blonde asked. "Did Robert tell you how irritating your dyke friends are?"

"No, she already knows that, Janelle," Robert said, a smile on his face. "I just told her that you two think I'm the ideal male."

Janelle smiled at him and said, "That can't be. Your mouth isn't sewn shut."

"Do you two want anything to eat?" Maggie asked. "I can whip up some more pancakes."

"No!" the brunette, Lauren, said. "We ate at six this morning, since the little darling here woke us up at four-thirty."

"Haven't you given her a name yet?" Maggie asked, a frown on her face.

Lauren and Janelle looked at each other and nodded, then the blonde said, "That's why we're here, Maggie." She looked at Robert next. "Thank you very much for your contribution to our family."

"You're my friends," he said and shrugged. "Friends take care of one another."

"Well, Lauren and I talked about it. Since you donated your sperm and supported us...we decided that you should name our baby."

The silence that followed that comment was punctuated by the shocked stares that Robert and Maggie gave their visitors. "Say what?" he asked.

"We want you to name our daughter, Robert," Lauren said. "We would really appreciate it."

"Wow."

Maggie moved to her husband, kissed his left cheek and said, "Go for it, honey."

The man sat there for several seconds as he thought it over and said, "Daria Anne."

Lauren nodded and said, "I like it."

"Daria, huh?" Janelle asked. "Like that girl on the MTV cartoon?"

"What?" Robert and Maggie asked in unison.

"You know, _Daria_. It was on MTV for a few years."

"I don't remember seeing that one," he said. "Watched Beavis and Butt-Head, but not Daria."

"That figures," Janelle replied and grinned. "She was a spin-off character from _Beavis and Butt-Head_. She was the smart girl in their class with the glasses."

"Oh."

"Robert, why did you choose the name 'Daria Anne'?" Maggie asked.

He blinked and shook his head slightly. "I don't know. It just sounds like a good name to me." Then he thought, _I knew someone with that name - someone special - but I can't remember much about her, or even why she's special._

Robert then turned to Janelle and said, "Before you three move on to Montana, I'd appreciate it if you give us some training in using a pistol."

"O.K.," the blonde said and nodded. "Why the change of heart on this? You told me no the last several times I asked."

"I...'we' need to know guns - and it wouldn't hurt to have one here, for security."

"I don't know, Robert," Maggie said. "The kids might find it and think it's a toy."

"Robert's right, Maggie," Lauren said. "You two need to know how to use one, and Janelle's the best teacher there is out there."

"Aw, thanks," Janelle said.

"Hush," Lauren said. "She not only can teach you how to use a gun, but how to clean it and keep it locked up - or properly stored. As long as you two remain 'responsible' parents, then there should be no problem. After all, a gun is just like any other tool. Powerful enough to do the job and dangerous enough to hurt you, too."

**oooooooooo**

Later, at one rummage sale, Robert knelt by a box of books as Maggie looked at clothes. Tammy stood beside her, a stuffed dog in her arms and the boys dug through a box of toys.

Suddenly, he came across a good sized red book titled, _Reading Sucks _and smiled. "Beavis and Butt-Head," he muttered. "I need to watch that again."

Then he found a book with an auburn-haired girl on the cover. She wore glasses, a black, pleated skirt, orange shirt and green jacket and held a keyboard in her arm. _The Daria Database. Odd_. He stared at the book for several seconds, laid it aside and continued his search.

As the Nelson family prepared to leave, Robert waited as the woman tallied up their purchases. Tammy held onto the stuffed dog tightly. In fact, she already named it "Mr. Barkey."

He looked back at the stack of books he didn't pick and saw the Daria book and said to the woman, "Hold up." He grabbed the book and laid it on the table with their other purchases. "Add this one in also, please."

The woman smiled. "Hey, take all you want. Anything you don't take, I just have to put back up."

"I think that's it." He looked at Maggie as she buckled the boys in the minivan and looked down at Tammy. "You can go on to the van, honey. I'll pay for it."

"O.K.," the little girl said and ran to the van.

"How much?" he asked.

"Four seventy-five," the woman said

Robert opened his wallet, pulled out a five and handed it to the woman and said, "Keep the change."

"Thank you." She filled up a paper grocery bag with the purchases.

He noticed something strange inside the wallet and pulled out a school photograph of a teenaged girl. She had auburn hair, wore glasses and a green jacket over an orange pullover shirt. For several seconds, he stared at the picture and felt his mouth dry up. _Daria. Oh, man._

The memory of kissing the girl came to his mind and he closed his eyes.

"Sir? I've got your stuff bagged up here."

Robert opened his eyes, quickly replaced the picture inside the wallet and pocketed it. "Thank you," he said. Then he took the bag and walked to the minivan to his waiting family.


	21. Epilogue 2 Redemption

**21. Epilogue 2 - Redemption**

"O.K.," Daria said as Jane drove ahead, "where are we going?"

"Anyplace," Jane said. "No place. It doesn't matter, just so long as it isn't Lawndale."

The auburn-haired teen looked at her friend, sighed, and said, "I'd rather be home right now."

"No!" Jane said forcefully. "Ever since you lost Robert, you've been moping around and sighing. You need a change of scenery, even if it's only for a day."

"You're not driving us to West Virginia, are you?"

A shocked look appeared on Jane's face. "Why the hell would I do that?" she asked.

"I've already been through one demonstration of Murphy's Law," Daria said and closed her eyes. "I don't need another." She sighed again. "Where are we going, Jane?"

For several seconds, Jane said nothing. Then she shook her head and said, "O.K., _amiga_, I'm taking you up to Valley Forge in Pennsylvania. It's not my idea of a good time, but I thought that you could use some historical site to relax your mind some."

Daria opened her eyes and looked at the car's dash. "Jane, I was falling in love with him," she said. "He was falling in love with me."

"I know, Daria. I know."

"It's just so...unfair." Daria pulled a book from her jacket pocket and opened it. "Of all the things I could have had from my...little vacation, as you called it...I have Robert's diary."

"Don't forget that photo I took of you two."

She smiled briefly and pulled the photo out of the book. "Yeah."

Just then, a loud sound startled the girls and Jane slowed down as one of the tires slowly went flat.

"Shit!" Jane said as she pulled over on the side of the road. "Of all the times for that to happen."

"Calm down, Jane," Daria said. "I know how to change a tire." She replaced the photo in the diary, closed it and placed it back inside the jacket pocket. "Let's get started."

Before either one could open their doors, a pickup truck pulled up behind them and a man got out. He wore a soiled, green factory uniform and looked to be dirty himself.

"Wait," Jane said. "Lock your door."

The man stopped near the driver's side window, which Jane opened about an inch. "Ladies, I see you have a problem," he said and looked them over - slowly.

Jane blinked and Daria shuddered as they felt his gaze roam over their bodies. A smile appeared on his face as he looked at Daria's legs.

"We're O.K.," Daria said. "We just called a tow truck."

A leer briefly appeared on his face and he suppressed it. "Are you sure?" he asked and stared directly at Jane's chest. "I could change the tire for you. All it would cost is a kiss from each of you. A tow truck would cost you around fifty bucks - if you're lucky."

"No," Jane said. "We'll wait."

The man shrugged and shook his head. "Your loss," he said and walked back to his truck.

As he drove off, Daria said, "We better get this done. I don't have a cell phone on me. Do you?"

"You already know the answer to that one," Jane said.

"Damn," Daria said and closed her eyes. "Of all the times to be a Luddite..."

"We'll be O.K., Daria. He left."

The smaller teen looked at her friend then. "Suppose he comes back with a gun?" she asked. "Or even a baseball bat? We'll be up shit creek without a paddle if he does. I wish Robert was here with us." She shuddered.

Just then, a blue Ford car slowed down and parked in front of their car. A man, who looked to be around twenty and dressed in a blue T-shirt and jeans, got out of the car. He walked back to them and said, "Ladies, do you need some help?"

Daria started to say a smart comeback, but stopped. _Oh, my God, _she thought as she looked at him. Her face paled as she noticed the muscle definition in his arms. But she recovered quickly and said, "Yes, we do. Flat tire."

He smiled and the auburn-haired teen felt a chill sweep through her. "I can help you - if you have a spare tire."

Daria hit the trunk release and said, "I'll help you."

As he walked back to the trunk, Jane grabbed her left arm and asked, "What's up with you, Daria? You aren't usually this outgoing, not with some stranger."

"Jane, it's Robert!" Daria said in a stage whisper. "Don't you recognize him?"

"He's not old enough to be Robert. Besides, didn't they send him back to his own world?"

"Yes, they did!" Daria was actually shaking. "But he could be _this _world's version of him."

"That doesn't mean he's going to be like _your_ Robert, _amiga_."

"I have a good feeling about this guy, Jane. He's not like that pervert in the truck."

"No, he could be a pervert in a Ford, instead."

Daria shook her head and said, "I don't think so."

"Be careful, Daria."

She got out of the car and followed him to the trunk. She grabbed the tire iron and jack, while the man pulled the wheel out.

They moved to the front passenger side and he knelt down and loosened the lug nuts. Then, he said, "Jack, please."

Daria handed it to him and watched him as he worked.

As he positioned the jack and lifted the car slightly, a truck slowed down near them.

"Daria!" Jane said, "That pervert's back! And he's got some friends with him this time!"

Daria paled as she looked at the three men in the truck. _Oh, hell, _she thought.

Then the man beside her stood up and stared at them, the tire iron in his right hand. The three men looked at him, talked quickly amongst one another and then the driver sped away.

The man looked at Daria and asked, "What was that about?"

"The driver stopped by earlier. He acted really creepy and we told him we didn't need his help. But then he went and got some friends." She shuddered. "You must have scared them off." _Thank you, thank you, thank you._

He sighed and shook his head. "Obviously, they aren't much in the manhood department," he said and turned his attention back to the tire.

**oooooooooo**

The man placed the flat tire in the trunk and Daria replaced the jack and tire iron, then shut the hatch. Jane stood nearby and kept looking around.

"Is there any way we could pay you back?" she asked.

The man smiled at Daria and said, "Sure. _You _could do me the pleasure of having dinner with me."

Jane gawked and Daria blinked. "We haven't even been introduced," she said, her voice strained.

His smile widened and he said, "Where are my manners? My name is Robert Nelson and I'm glad to meet you, Miss..."

Daria smiled and said, "Daria. Daria Morgendorffer. This is my friend, Jane Lane."

"Would you have dinner with me, Daria?" he asked.

"Yes," she said and held out her hand. "I would love it."

Robert looked at her hand and said, "I've got tire residue on my hand."

"I don't care."

"O.K." He took her hand and they shook.

"Well, what about me?"

Daria turned to her and asked, "What about that guy you said asked you out? Wasn't his name Tom?"

"Yeah, Tom Sloane." She looked at Robert, then Daria. "Would you two mind a double date? That is, if I can get to a phone and call him."

Robert pulled a cell phone out of its belt holder and handed it to her. "Use mine."

As Jane made her phone call, Daria looked at him and said, "So you like to hit on teenagers, huh? How old are you, Robert?"

"I turn twenty-two in a few weeks. If that doesn't bother you, it doesn't bother me. Unless you're under sixteen, that is."

"I'm seventeen," she said. "Robert, you seem familiar to me, but I don't know from where."

"I don't see how," he said. "I just moved in the area from Ohio."

Another chill swept through Daria and she asked, "Why did you move from Ohio?"

"Bad memories. My girlfriend and her family died in a car-train accident and I couldn't take it there, not anymore."

Daria blinked and said, "Oh. I'm sorry."

Just then, Jane handed Robert his phone and said, "He said that he'll meet us at Kim's Pizza."

Daria looked at Robert. "I hope you like pizza."

"I love pizza," he said and smiled at Daria again.

She returned his smile and said, "Just follow us."

The three got back in their vehicles and they left the area.


	22. Epilogue 3 Revenge

**22. Epilogue 3 - Revenge**

Ezra Stone answered the front door on the second knock. His irritated look gave way to confusion as he saw a petite, auburn-haired teen girl with glasses stand there. "Whatever you're selling, young lady, I'm not interested," he said and started to shut the door.

"I'm here to talk to you about _teleportation_," she said quickly.

Stone stopped and stared at the girl, who looked at him blankly. Finally, he cleared his throat and asked, "What did you say?"

"I'm here to talk with you about teleportation."

He blinked and stared at her silently for several seconds. Then he opened the door widely and said, "Come in."

After the girl followed him to a barely used living room, he motioned her to sit in a chair and he sat across from her in a rocking chair. "O.K., what do _you_ know about teleportation?" he asked. "Not only that, but how did you know to see _me _about it?"

"You teleported me to Fostoria, Ohio," she said. "Or maybe I should say you did, in another reality."

"I'm sorry?"

"Don't play innocent with me, Dr. Stone," the girl said and her expression took on a slightly agitated look. "I nearly died because of you. For some unknown reason, you invented a teleportation machine and used it on several people. I'm the only one who survived the experience. Barely. However, I met Robert, and things went really...nice, then."

Stone shook as he listened to the girl. "How do you know about..." he started to ask and stopped himself.

"Time got reset by someone else," she said and smiled slightly. "Your...errors...got fixed."

He stood up and said, "Wait here, I need to take notes about this!"

"I retained three things from my experience in Fostoria, _Doctor_," she said and he stopped and looked at her. Her voice sounded slightly bitter. "Unfortunately, Robert wasn't one of them. But he's home, happy now and back with his loved ones - as he should have been all along. He wasn't mine to begin with."

"I don't understand," Stone said.

"One thing I retained was a book," the girl said and ignored his comment. "That isn't important to you. Not at all. The other was a photograph - also unimportant to you." She stood up and pulled a revolver out of her right jacket pocket. "The third thing I retained was a knowledge of using pistols. That _is_ important to you."

Stone's face paled as he stared at the pistol. "You're - you're here to kill me."

"You win a kewpie doll," she said as she quickly lifted the pistol, cocked it and fired once into his belly.

Ezra Stone fell backwards, hit a bookcase and toppled it over onto a coffee table. Then he landed on the floor and rolled over onto his back. He felt the blood pool around his midsection and looked up at the girl. "Why?" he asked.

"You're too dangerous to be allowed to exist," the teen said.

Then he closed his eyes and lost consciousness.

**oooooooooo**

Ezra Stone sat up quickly in his bed and panted in terror. He looked around in panic and sighed at the sight of the thick steel bars. He was still alone - by himself and with his thoughts.

_Still in my jail cell_, he thought and covered his face with his hands. _Why am I here? How did they know about my machine? Why do I keep dreaming about that girl?_

He didn't know how long it had been since he, along with his partner, John Casey, were arrested and detained. He hadn't seen Casey since then and his paranoia only intensified.

_I bet that idiot has told them everything! He was so jealous of my ability. But how did we get their attention? How?_

He got out of bed and walked to the sink. After he ran the cold water for several seconds, he splashed his face, then stretched his arms and legs.

_I don't even know what day this is - or what time. They're doing this to me deliberately. But who are they? Why am I so...scared of them?_

He sat on the bed and looked around. As it had been since he arrived, his cell was inside a darkened room, with the bars at least fifteen feet from the walls. The only lights on were some above his cell - and they stayed on all the time.

_They sounded like federal agents to me, but why did they violate my rights? What have I done that's so dangerous?_

Stone laid back on the bed and sighed as he closed his eyes again.

**oooooooooo**

He opened his eyes and found himself on the floor of his panel van. His arms and legs were bound tightly and an old rag was shoved into his mouth. For several seconds, he looked around and struggled to free himself, but stopped when he saw the four people stare at him. Two men, one in his early twenties and the other somewhat older. But the two teen girls made him cry out into his gag. The taller girl had black hair and a vicious glare on her face. But the smaller girl, with auburn hair and glasses, stared at him with unmistakable hatred.

The auburn-haired girl gave the two men an order and they picked up Stone and laid him on van floor, near the back door. Then the girl with the black hair picked up his invention and aimed it at him.

Now he screamed into his gag as the beam of light came out slowly and enveloped him. The four disappeared as he screamed.

Suddenly, he found himself on a cold sidewalk in the late afternoon hours and looked around from the ground. Somewhere nearby, several moans could be heard. _I'm in Fostoria_, he thought. _But what's that noise?_

He heard footsteps and looked to see ten or more people approach him from nearby homes. They all moved slowly as they walked; some tripped over hidden obstacles in the overgrown grass or on the sidewalks or curbs. All of them looked gray, but he thought it was because of the overcast skies.

Then he saw his partner, Dr. Casey, amongst the people and screamed into his gag again. His lab jacket and clothes were covered with dried blood and he looked as if he had been torn open.

In his panic struggles, he noticed that nearly all the people had mortal wounds of some sort, but that didn't stop them from getting on their knees around him. Some grabbed him with claw-like hands; a couple bent over him and bit into his exposed flesh.

**oooooooooo**

Once again, Ezra Stone sat up and screamed in his bed. As his screams died down, he covered his face in his hands and shuddered. _If it's not that damned girl shooting me, it's those...those...things biting into me and eating me._

A door opened along the darkened wall and Stone watched as the blonde woman came in, alone. She looked at him silently and asked, her voice sarcastic, "Having bad dreams?"

"Unless you're going to tell me what's going on, I'm not talking to you," he said quickly.

"You deserve bad dreams, Mr. Stone," she said and sat down in the chair near the front of the cage. "You deserve a lot more than that."

"I haven't done anything!" he protested and crossed his arms over his chest. "I want my lawyer - now! I also want - no, I demand - to know why you have arrested me. Why am I here, dammit?"

The blonde raised one eyebrow slightly and smirked at him. "You _demand_, Mr. Stone?" she asked.

"Doctor," he corrected her.

"What?"

"That's '_Doctor_ Stone' to you, young lady. I demand that you treat me with respect."

She sighed and shook her head.

"Frankenstein was a doctor, too, _Doctor_ Stone," a deep male voice said from the darkened doorway, "and look at the havoc he created."

A tall black man, dressed in white, walked next to the blonde and stared at him. He held a cane in his right hand and had an automatic pistol in a shoulder holster.

"Frankenstein was a fictional character," Stone said quickly to the man he knew only as Archangel. "There is no comparison between the two of us."

The black man smiled slightly and said, "That is true - to an extent. Frankenstein only lost his humanity in his quest to destroy his monster. You have no humanity. You _are_ the monster."

"I have done nothing!" Stone yelled out. "You are holding an innocent man, and you will pay when I'm released. I guarantee that!"

"Innocent?" the blonde asked. "We went to a lot of effort to fix the chaos you created with your 'teleportation' device."

Stone gawked at her and paled. "My what?" he asked quickly.

Both agents smiled at their prisoner. "Play innocent all you want," Archangel said. "We have your notes. We have your device and we have a very detailed statement from Dr. Casey. You haven't seen innocent in a long time, Dr. Stone. A very long time."

"I never used the device!" Stone yelled out quickly. "It wasn't ready yet!"

"I bet you don't remember those teen girls and two men who used your own machine on you, either - or your death at the hands of zombies."

Stone paled and sat down on his bed hard.

The blonde smiled at him, a predatory smile. "I thought you would remember it, even though it never happened. But it could have. Because of you, _Doctor_ Stone, we had to split up a couple. I know you don't give a shit about it, but having to do that irritated me." She looked at the nails of her right hand, blew on them and rubbed them on her jacket lapel. "I guess that I'm a romantic at heart. But then again, you wouldn't understand that, since you have no heart."

"How can you punish me for something I've never done?" Stone asked. "I have my rights and I demand you respect them."

"How about the rights of Kay Daniels, Billy Smithson, Daria Morgendorffer and six others you teleported to an alternate Fostoria, Ohio?" Archangel glared at him. "Of those nine, only Daria survived. Your 'rights' ceased to exist once we got our hands on you."

"I didn't do that!" Stone protested. "This is insane!"

"Have you ever seen the movie _Minority Report_?" the black man asked.

"I don't watch movies made by Scientologists," the prisoner said, his voice derisive.

"Your loss," Archangel said. "Tom Cruise may or may not be a flake, but he's a good actor. The situation in the movie is similar to yours, except you _did _commit the crimes we told you about. But we fixed your actions and...corrected what you did."

"Then I should be let go," Stone said quickly. "If my so-called errors have been fixed.'

"It isn't that simple," the woman said. "You are too dangerous to be allowed to exist - free."

Stone paled and shook slightly as he heard the nightmare words come from the blonde's mouth. "If..." he said and coughed. "If you let me go and I forfeit all my stuff, we can call it even and I won't sue the government."

"Let you go free?" Archangel asked and laughed. "So you can build another device and create a new mess for us to fix? We're not stupid, Stone, but we have found a way for you to be useful to us - and the multiverse."

"The multiverse?" Stone asked. "There's no such thing! Dr. Casey always went on about it, but all that nonsense is just pseudo-scientific claptrap."

The blonde stared at him and finally said, "For your information, 'doctor', you come from a world we labeled D-320. We are now on D-5, you _sent_ your victims to D-23. That particular Earth suffered what we call a Class IV zombie infestation that we were able to fix. Your friend, Dr. Casey, was right."

"You're lying to me," Stone said, his voice shaky.

"Believe what you want," Archangel said. "Now we have found an Earth that is in the midst of a Class III zombie event and _you _are going to help us out there."

"I don't have to do anything I don't want," the prisoner said, his voice sullen. "You may keep me here against my will, but I won't do anything to help you."

**oooooooooo**

Ezra Stone looked out at the surrounding countryside and shivered inside his cage - actually a double cage, that prevented anyone from being able to reach inside to him. It also prevented him from being able to reach anyone outside.

The woman, who he now knew as Valkyrie, smiled at him and said, "Feel free to scream. It'll help us out more than you'll ever realize. Oh, and don't worry about them getting in to you. These cages are pretty sturdy."

"Them?" he asked.

She chuckled. "The zombies, Dr. Stone. Welcome to your new career, for you are now bait. See you later." She turned on a compact disc player that was connected to the top of the cage. "Just in case you don't scream. Hope you like Hank Williams Jr."

_Bait? What the hell is she talking about?_

The sounds of _All For The Love of Sunshine _boomed out of the speakers and Stone winced at the volume.

Valkyrie jogged to the nearby armored personnel carrier, got inside and the vehicle left him alone in the field.

It didn't take long. The first one came from the east, where the morning sun was still and orange in the sky. Then the others came from all directions.

By the time fifty had gathered at his cage, their moans mixed with his screams to totally drown out the rest of the songs.

Ezra Stone curled up on the floor in the center of the cage and screamed. At the same time, dozens of dead and rotting hands tried vainly to reach for him - or anything to grab and pull him towards them.

He kept his eyes tightly shut as he screamed, but one thought stayed at the forefront of his mind. _The stench! The stench!_


	23. Epilogue 4 Truths

**23. Epilogue 4: Truths**

It was nearly six o'clock when Robert Nelson rung the doorbell at the Morgendorffer home. He waited nervously, but smiled when a man answered the door. "Hi!" Jake said. "Quinn will be ready in just a few minutes."

"I'm here to see Daria," Robert said quickly.

"Daria?" Jake asked and looked slightly confused. "Oh! You must be Robert." He quickly shook hands with the visitor. "Daria was telling us about you. Come on in."

Robert followed Jake to the living room and said, "Have a seat and I'll call Daria down."

He sat on one end of the couch and waited as Jake walked up the staircase. Just when he relaxed, a woman walked in from the kitchen, a cell phone up to her ear; she spoke to someone as if she were alone. "No, Eric, I'm certain they'll settle. They're afraid of a long, drawn out case. Let's just be..."

She noticed the young man in front of her then and quickly said, "Eric, something just came up. I'll call you back." She quickly disconnected the call and looked at Robert intently. "Who might you be?"

Robert quickly stood up and said, "I'm Robert Nelson, ma'am. I'm seeing Daria."

"Helen Morgendorffer," she said. She smiled then and held out her right hand. "I'm Daria's mother. You're the one who helped the girls with the flat tire on Saturday, aren't you?"

"Yes, ma'am." He took her hand and shook it. He was surprised by her firm grip.

"I appreciate what you did. Daria told me about those...thugs in the truck."

He shook his head. "Obviously, they were cowards."

"You're not in high school, are you, Robert?" she asked and changed the subject.

Robert was aware that Helen's gaze stayed on his face - and eyes. "No, ma'am. I'm twenty-one."

"I see...what do you for a living?"

"I'm a finder."

"Excuse me?"

He smiled then. "I'm sorry. I used to work for an antique mall in Ohio. Well, I found a niche market for those who want hard to find or rare items, but don't have the time to do the searching themselves. For a fee, I find what they're looking for, be it an old book or some other item of interest."

Helen looked at him, her expression skeptical. "You actually make money doing that?"

"Yes, ma'am. Enough for me to live...decently."

Just then, Daria came down the stairs, a small smile on her face. "Hey," she said.

Robert turned and smiled at her. "Hey."

"Where are you two planning to go tonight?" Helen asked as Jake came back into the living room and sat in a chair.

Robert looked back at the older woman and said, "We haven't decided the restaurant, yet, but since we both like pizza..." He looked at Daria. "...how about Kim's, again?"

"Sounds good to me," the teen said. They started to walk towards the door.

"Hold on a second, please," Helen said; Robert and Daria stopped and turned to face her. "As much as I appreciate what you did for the girls on Saturday, I'm not comfortable with Daria visiting your home by herself, Robert. Do you live alone?"

"My cat lives with me, too," he said and dug into his pocket. He handed her a key. "This is the key to the front door of my house. If I let you and Mr. Morgendorffer have that key, and anytime Daria and I are alone there, you can come over unannounced, would that be a problem then?"

Helen looked at the key. "You're serious?"

"Very much, ma'am. I not only respect Daria, I respect you and your husband as well." He placed the key in her right hand. "Sometime, I'd like to have all of you over for dinner. I make a mean chili, if I do say so myself."

For the first time, a smile appeared on Helen's face. She closed her hand on the key and said, "We accept your...offer. Just don't make the chili hot. I do like to sleep at night."

"No problem," he said and smiled. "Chili's no good if you can't taste it for the blisters."

Helen and Daria looked at Jake then, who seemed to shrink into his seat. "That wasn't my fault, Helen! I swear that the recipe called for fifty red peppers!"

"Five, Jake! Five!"

"Um, Mom, Dad," Daria said then. "Robert and I are going now. We'll be back later."

"Have a good time, you two," Jake said.

"Be careful," Helen said.

Outside, Daria glanced at Robert. "You made brownie points with Mom," she said. "What are you up to?"

"I'm a fount of innocence," he said, a smirk on his face.

"You're full of bull," she said, a smile on her face. "So if we want to be alone, what are we going to do? Mom will find any excuse to interrupt us, just to warn you."

"That depends on how far you want to go," he said. "Myself, I have no problem with your folks seeing us kiss. If my guess is right, your mom is trying to figure me out. The key is a leap of faith." He stopped her. "We didn't kiss on our first date."

"I wanted to see if you were serious," Daria said.

"I'm quite serious." He moved up to her and kissed her quickly. When he broke the kiss, she returned it with a little more force.

"I'm not delicate, Robert."

He kissed her again, a little harder. When he moved back, he said, "That depends on your definition of 'delicate', my dear."

**oooooooooo**

They walked on down the sidewalk and Daria held Robert's left hand tightly. She smiled at him and he returned her smile; he winked as well. _What do you see in me? _she thought.

A few blocks from where they walked, the sound of bell chimes played at Lawndale Presbyterian Church. Daria's face took on a sad, almost fearful, look and Robert saw it. "What's wrong?" he asked.

She said nothing, but laid her head against his upper left arm and shivered.

"Daria? Talk to me, please."

"Are you a dream?" she asked, her voice quiet.

"What?"

She stopped and he stopped with her. He frowned when he saw tears form in her eyes and he pulled her to him.

"What's wrong, Daria? Why are you crying?"

"Are you a dream?" she asked again.

He reached up with his right hand and stroked her face. "No. I'm very real and I'm with _you _- and only you. Why do you ask me that?"

The chimes still played as she turned and quickly kissed his hand. "I'm just...afraid that I'll turn away briefly and when I turn back, you'll be gone."

"I don't understand."

Daria blinked her eyes twice and a tear rolled down her left cheek. "We were walking together like this," she said. "The chimes were playing and...and I lost him."

Robert exhaled slowly and asked, "Did he dump you then?"

She shook her head and took a deep breath. "No, he didn't dump me. But he...I still lost him." She then looked down at the sidewalk. "I can't tell you anymore than that. I'm sorry."

"Why can't you tell me?" he asked.

"Because you'll think I'm nuts."

He touched the back of her head and she looked up at him. "This is our third date, Daria. We've talked quite a bit and you strike me as a rational, smart, young woman. I like to think you can say something to me and not be afraid of what I'll think." He stroked her hair and smiled. "Besides, I've gone through things that you probably couldn't imagine...or believe."

"I doubt that," she said. "You see, his name was also Robert Nelson. He looked like you, he was also from Fostoria, Ohio, but he was ten years older than you."

Robert paled and blinked as he stared at Daria. "I'm constantly guilty of speaking in absolutes," he said. "Now I see why you think I'm a dream."

"I...don't believe in coincidences, Robert. You suddenly showed up when I...when I wished that _he_ was there to help us. How did you happen to be in the Lawndale area and right where we were when we had the flat tire? It's almost as if you were...assigned to be with me."

Robert looked at her silently and sighed. "I won't lie to you," he said. "I don't like lying, though I generally have to, in my present occupation."

"You said that you're a finder. How would you lie with that?"

"That's not my main job, Daria." He took both of her hands in his and looked at her. "What I'm about to tell you will seem crazy and you may believe that I'm some sort of freak. But I won't lie to you. I lied to a girlfriend when I was fourteen and I lost her because of it. But you probably won't believe me."

"O.K.," she said, her voice shaky and she gripped his hands firmly. "Tell me."

He took a deep breath and began. "I come from another Earth, much like this one. Except we suffered a zombie crisis. You know, the flesh eating kind that they show in the movies sometimes. A lot of people died. More than half of my family died. We had a government agency called DELPHI. They were named after the place where Apollo had his oracle..."

"I know the origin of the word," she said. Her voice seemed strained and somewhat weak.

"Sorry. Well, before that crisis, DELPHI was well-kept secret. But they apparently had a way to call for help from their counterparts on several other Earths." He laughed briefly. "We had superheroes from one of the Earths come to our aid. Real-life supermen and superwomen, though officially, they're called metahumans." He freed his right hand and showed her the ring on his third finger. "This is a Defender Ring. I and a lot of others on my world were given the rings to help take back our world from the dead. Together, the metahumans, the DELPHI agents, our surviving military forces and the Defender Ring bearers, we took our world back and eradicated the dead menace."

He looked at Daria and saw her astonished expression. "I know. It sounds...crazy. But you were partly right when you said I was 'assigned'. I'm assigned to _this_ Lawndale, but not to you. I was on my way to Valley Forge for a day off and a tour. I just happened to pass you and Jane when you had the flat tire. I'm with you because you said 'yes' when I asked you out on a date."

Daria closed her eyes and slowly shook her head. He sighed and added, "If you want, I will leave. I won't like it, but I will understand, and I won't hold it against you."

Her response was to jump at him and wrap her arms around him. "No!" she cried out, her face in his chest. "I don't want to lose you. I don't want to lose you, too."

She looked up at his face and, for the next several minutes, related her own tale - from the transport to the dead world of the older Robert Nelson to the intervention of the three agents. She ended her tale with the question, "You don't think I'm nuts, then?"

"No," he said and shook his head. "I will tell you this. DELPHI monitors cross dimensional travels." He laughed briefly. "Heck, some of their agents can personally detect such travel. One agent, codenamed Archangel, is really good at it."

"Archangel?" Daria asked. "A tall black man, uses a cane?"

"I see you've met him. Who were the other two agents you mentioned?"

"A woman called Valkyrie and a man called Tiberius."

He held up his ring. "I know Valkyrie. She gave me this ring."

"You said that you were assigned to this Lawndale. What do you mean by 'assigned'?"

Robert guided her down the sidewalk and they walked again. "After the zombie crisis was over on my world, most of us ring owners were formed into a corps. Our jobs were to be assigned secretly to alternate Earths. This Earth is my assignment. The cities we live in are considered nexus points...or ground zeroes."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Places where zombies are likely to appear. On virtually every Earth, for example, Evans City, Pennsylvania is a major ground zero. Other nexus points include Fostoria, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; Albion, New York; Greensboro, Georgia; and Lawndale, Maryland. I was assigned to Fostoria, but when my Lindsey died, I changed my assignment to Lawndale. Meeting you was a happy coincidence."

"Why did you ask me out? How do I know you weren't ordered to be with me?"

He smiled and shook his head. "When Lindsey died, I was numb for days - weeks. The pain of her death made me change my assigned city to Lawndale. Lately, I've felt lonely. The pain of Lindsey's death finally faded into the background. My dad always told me that if I saw a girl I wanted to go out with, ask her. Don't wait and don't put it off. I saw you, I liked what I saw and I asked you out. Thankfully, you said yes."

"Why are you 'secretly' assigned to other Earths? Wouldn't it be better if you were out in the open?"

"No." He shook his head. "Nearly every Earth that _is_ aware of us have banned us from their planet. Fear of our power, I suppose. Plus the fact that we cannot be controlled by them. As a result, we are kept virtually undercover."

"But you...took a chance telling me."

Robert stopped and Daria stopped with him. "I like you, Daria. I like you a lot. In fact, I'm falling for you. I don't want there to be secrets, or lies, between us. There will be times that I'm called to another Earth for a brief assignment. I want you to realize that, because I don't ever want to lie to a person...I love...again."

Daria blushed. "I can't say that...yet."

He smiled. "I'll go easy on it for right now, because I also don't want to pressure you."

"Can you demonstrate what your ring can do...or is that against the rules?" She noticed him look at her silently, then suddenly felt her skirt partially wrap against her legs. "What?"

"Don't want your skirt to come open, even if no one can see us," he said. "I don't humiliate people to prove a point. Especially someone special."

She noticed that they left the ground and rose up into the air. Quickly, she grabbed Robert and clung onto him. "Omigod, omigod, omigod."

As they moved into the skies above Lawndale, he smiled and said, "Relax, I've got you."

"You've got me?" she asked, her voice nervous. "Who's got you?"

"The ring. You're safe, Daria. You're safe."

"You say that nobody can see us?"

"Anyone who looks at us can only see a small cloud. What do you think?"

"You proved your point. Can you take me back down, please?"

Robert moved his left hand to her chin and lifted her face slightly. Then he moved his face closer to hers.

She closed her eyes and accepted his kiss.

When the kiss broke, he slowly lowered them both back to the ground.

As they landed, Daria still held onto him. "I think I'm ready for that pizza now," she said.

--------

Author's Note: This ends _A Little Vacation._ It also serves as a connection to _The Cynic and The Defender_, a story about the growing relationship between Daria Morgendorffer and the younger Robert Nelson. That story will be posted soon.

Thanks for reading.

---Doggieboy80


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